The sudden Jimmy Butler trade request has flipped the start of training camp on its head, as the Minnesota Timberwolves scramble to look for a potential package in return. While some still speculate that there are ulterior motives to his decision to leave, one NBA executive made it vastly clear that it's all about the money and the fame.
“I think Jimmy does not see a future in Minny and is not real excited to finish his career playing alongside KAT and Wiggins,” the NBA executive said, according to Adam Zagoria of SportsNet New York.
“It's all about Jimmy,” the executive added. “He is looking to get paid and to be the man.”
Butler turned down a four-year, $110 million extension that was offered to him earlier in the summer, knowing he could max out that money as a free agent next year. The Timberwolves are unwilling to give him the max-level, as he will be heading into his 30s in 2019 and they still have an impending max extension to give in Karl-Anthony Towns'.
Minnesota would be unable to max out Andrew Wiggins ($146.5 million extension last season), Towns, and Butler in the same roster, which ultimately played part in the latter's decision to seek out a trade.
The three teams of his choice — the L.A. Clippers, the Brooklyn Nets, and the New York Knicks — all have enough cap space to give him a full max deal, but signing as a free agent would only yield $140 million over a five-year deal, instead of the $190 million that he seeks.
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