Raptors news: Toronto interested in Timberwolves' Jimmy Butler

The Toronto Raptors are interested in trading for Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler, according to Darren Wolfson of KSTP.

The Timberwolves have told at least one team with interest in acquiring Butler they can get a good player back for the 6-foot-7 swingman. Butler can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019 if he declines his player option for the 2019-20 season, so teams trading for him know he can potentially be a rental player.

Buzz this afternoon is that the #Twolves have told at least one interested team that they can get a good player back. In other words, up your offer. More buzz: Toronto is interested.

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) September 23, 2018

The Raptors have already made one blockbuster trade this offseason. They acquired star Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs, along with shooting guard Danny Green. Toronto sent the Spurs DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected first round pick in 2019.

With Leonard in the mix, the Raptors have a great chance to get to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. Toronto had the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season and is essentially replacing DeRozan with Leonard, who has won the Defensive Player of the Year award two times.

The Timberwolves will most likely ask the Raptors for O.G. Anunoby and Pascal Siakam in exchange for Jimmy Butler. There isn't another set of players on the Raptors' roster that is intriguing for Minnesota.

That being said, it's highly doubtful the Raptors will part ways with Anunoby or Siakam. Both players have extremely bright futures, and it makes no sense to move either of them for a player like Butler, who is 29, can be a rental player, and has a history of being a locker room cancer.

In his first season with the Timberwolves last season after spending the first six years of his career with the Chicago Bulls, Butler averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. He shot 47.4 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from three-point range.