There has been no shortage of drama in the 2018-2019 NBA campaign.
NBA Twitter has lived up to its knee-slapping meme and GIF-centric reputation on a nightly basis. Beat reporters have spilled nuggets of juicy information to the public. Some of the league’s most outspoken athletes haven’t needed a messenger, delivering harsh post-game diatribes about blown calls or their opponents.
Although it seems like ages ago, one of those vibrant players, Jimmy Butler, began the year as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. After a tumultuous and injury-ridden 2017-2018 campaign in Minnesota, Butler made it clear that he desired a new opportunity in 2018-2019. The fact that he was entering another year under former coach Tom Thibodeau, who had gone 193-119 with Butler and the Chicago Bulls during a previous tenure, didn’t matter.
It was Thibodeau who gave the younger Butler the opportunity he craved en route to becoming the All-Star level two-way star he is today. But, that didn’t matter.
In November of 2017, Butler reportedly got chippy with Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and his other Wolves teammates on a flight to New Orleans, challenging them to try harder on both ends of the court, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
Fast forwarding to the playoffs, he clearly called out his teammates and their lack of team-oriented play.
“I put so much into this game and I only play to win. I don't play for any individual stats or accolades. And at times I get lost in how everybody is not built the way that I'm built,” Butler said, via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “… Sometimes I just look around, and I don't understand how or why you all don't love to get better the way that I do.”
After Butler reportedly skipped the team flight back to Minnesota after their first-round playoff loss (per Krawczynski’s reporting), the Chicago Sun-Times published a report singling out Towns as the one teammate in particular that Jimmy Butler had an issue with.
After turning down a four-year, $110 million maximum extension by the T-Wolves last summer, Butler demanded a trade and the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets were leaked as his top three preferred targets (in no particular order). But, the team was not able to strike a deal and Butler returned to Minnesota for the start of the year, where he famously led a group of third-stringers to a legendary practice victory over the team’s starters. And there were plenty of fireworks, too.
At one point in a scrimmage, sources said, Butler turned to GM Scott Layden and screamed, "You (bleeping) need me. You can't win without me." Butler left teammates and coaches largely speechless. He dominated the gym in every way. Jimmy's back.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 10, 2018
After appearing in 10 regular-season contests for Minnesota, he eventually got his wish, as the Philadelphia 76ers sent Dario Saric, Robert Covington, Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second-round pick to the Timberwolves for Butler and Justin Patton.
All that being said, the trade proved one thing: talent supersedes everything else. The Sixers were able to stomach Butler’s outspokenness and dramatic flare because he averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 36.7 minutes per contest last season and is regarded as one of the few true two-way wings.
Now, he’s a part of a 37-21 Philly squad that ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference. Time will tell, but after Tobias Harris’ addition, the Sixers could become a major problem for the rest of the East in the playoffs.
But, in case you forgot, Jimmy Butler was very close to taking his talents to South Beach.
ESPN’s Jorge Sedano detailed exactly how close a deal was to happening:
“There's been a couple of different incarnations of this deal. The first one, the Heat didn't want to take back Gorgui Dieng. Then, the next incarnation of the deal was ‘OK forget it, let's just do it straight up, just for Jimmy on your end.' They finally relented on Josh Richardson. They were giving them Josh Richardson, then Dion Waiters was going to be the cap filler and then a protected first-round pick.”
”The medicals were exchanged, which generally in the NBA means this is a done deal. And then, Thibs called back and wanted more picks. And Pat Riley literally — I was told – called him a motherbleeper and hung up the phone.”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Riley extended a final offer of Richardson, Adebayo and a protected future first-round pick. One can assume that Riley did not want to accommodate Minnesota’s desire to get rid of Dieng’s $48 guaranteed left on their books or to part ways with additional draft picks.
Had the deal have gone through, it goes without saying that all three teams involved would have instantly looked markedly different. The uninvolved Sixers would have maintained their starting five of Ben Simmons, J.J. Redick, Covington, Saric and Joel Embiid moving forward. Minnesota would have featured Jeff Teague/Derrick Rose, Wiggins, Richardson, Adebyo/Taj Gibson and Towns in their starting five. The Heat would have added Butler to Erik Spoelstra’s mix-and-match rotations consisting of variations of Goran Dragic (when healthy), Dwyane Wade, Waiters, Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow, James Johnson, Derrick Jones Jr., Kelly Olynyk and Rodney McGruder.
Although living in a hypothetical world can put your brain in a pretzel, it’s interesting to think of the trickle-down effects that the Jimmy Butler-Heat marriage-that-wasn’t could have created. Perhaps the Sixers wouldn’t be in fifth place in the East right now. Maybe the Heat would be in the playoff picture (they’re currently in ninth place at 26-30).
Who knows? The Timberwolves could have benefitted from Richardson’s defensive wing presence and surged ahead of 11th place in the West. After all, Covington has missed most of his games since being traded there due to an injury.
Trades are usually meant to benefit both sides in some way. Since the rumored deal for Butler between the Heat and Wolves didn’t involve any major draft picks, the expectation that both teams would immediately improve on the court was most likely a factor that each side had in mind.
If the season ended right now, both Minnesota and Miami would be sitting at home watching Butler and the Sixers make a NBA Finals run. Oh, and Butler’s in a contract year and will undoubtedly land a nine-figure deal somewhere in the offseason.
Therefore, the message is simple: if you have talent, you can really act however you want — you’ll probably win in the end regardless. Think of Jimmy Butler as Exhibit A.
Meanwhile, the Heat can add this to their growing list of missed opportunities after LeBron James left town.
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