The Minnesota Timberwolves have too steep of an asking price for teams inquiring about All-Star forward Jimmy Butler, including his favorite, the Miami Heat, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Wolves are seeking quality veterans, top prospects, future assets, and the willingness to take on bloated contracts.
Teams have also become weary and skeptical of president/coach Tom Thibodeau's desire to make a deal. Chris Sheridan of GetMoreSports reported that Thibodeau might be looking to get fired, something that could be attributed to the string of poor decisions he's made in the last year, including the plethora of head-butting instances he's had with Butler and most importantly, owner Glen Taylor.
The Twin Cities brass has been confusing and frustrating teams since the very beginning of the process, going through a major indecision of whether they would trade or keep Butler. In addition, teams had been clueless about what Minnesota actually wants in return for their four-time All-Star, but as it turns out, they want the mother lode for his services. Needless to say, there is plenty of volatility emanating from the Timberwolves' front office, making this deal much more frustrating than it would normally be.
Minnesota has been known to want to unload the three years and $48.7 million remaining in Gorgui Dieng's contract, but Miami would need assistance from a third team to do so, given their tight salary cap space situation after a 2017 summer bonanza of multi-year deals.
The Phoenix Suns, who could potentially be willing to become a third or fourth team to facilitate the trade, are reportedly out of the mix for this trade after seeking out a starting point guard in either Jeff Teague or backup Tyus Jones, according to Sheridan.
The Sacramento Kings still remain open to being a potential partner in a three-way deal, offering their salary cap space in exchange of draft pick and cash compensation for their troubles.
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