The Minnesota Timberwolves had promised Jimmy Butler they would still try to find a suitable trade for him if he returned to the team and played alongside his teammates until they're able to do so. A week has gone by and there's been only radio silence in the Twin Cities' front office, as president/head coach Tom Thibodeau has yet to receive an offer that would make him consider trading his star.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst explained why this trade is moving along so slowly and the factors that complicated a smooth transaction for the star.

“The market is not fertile for a trade right now and there's a couple of reasons,” said Windhorst as a guest in The HoopsHype Podcast. “One is that for some teams, Jimmy Butler will clearly be a rental, because he's not going to want to tay in every market that he gets traded to, so that depresses his value to some teams.”

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“Then you have the teams that actually want to trade for him — teams like Miami, for example, and Houston. He has more value to them because they wouldn't be able to have a chance at him in free agency, so they have reduced leverage because of it, but they realize they're trading for a distressed asset, so they're not going to offer the packages that Minnesota would want.

“For example… like if the Clippers call — the Clippers are a team that wants him, or the Mavericks, for example are a team that want him — but they have salary cap space so they know they can sign Jimmy without trading anything for him.”

Teams like the Heat and the Rockets are facing the luxury tax bracket and unable to haul in a contract like Butler's without spending up to four times what he's worth in tax dollars. Other teams like the L.A. Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks have the cap space to absorb his contract and sign him to a long-term deal, making risking further assets rather unnecessary unless it comes at a bargain price.

The Heat have reportedly offered a package as juicy as Josh Richardson, Kelly Olynyk and a protected first-round pick for Butler, but the Timberwolves have been resistant to the idea, hoping his play through the regular season drives up the price for his services.