The Jimmy Butler trade circus is still in play as more and more teams are rumored to be calling the Minnesota Timberwolves front office hotlines. It has been reported that Butler has expressed his desire to be traded to the New York Knicks, but that chatter could be overstated. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports tweeted out this interesting development.

“Hearing that Jimmy Butler's interest in Knicks was overstated. His main goal is to win sooner rather than later.”

“My understanding is that there are other teams beyond those original three that Butler wants to play and perhaps sign a long-term deal with. ‘s latest has some of those teams. I'd add Washington and Milwaukee as outliers.”

The Wolves front office has since changed their cold stance on Butler's trade request into a position where a deal will be their next step moving forward. It came to a point where team owner Glen Taylor has already ‘mandated a deal', forcing the front office to have no choice but to ship the discontented Butler to another team.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pistons, Rockets, 76ers, and the Heat are the most recent teams to be in the running for acquiring the services of the four-time All-Star. Butler himself has told the Wolves that he prefers a deal to the Clippers, Knicks, and the Nets.

For starters, it might be a wise move for Butler to go back to the east coast, considering that the western conference has become even more stacked. A Butler trade to the Knicks would put the Big Apple on the basketball map again, as such move could attract more superstars to play in New York.

It remains to be seen how this circus would end, but having a two-way superstar such as Butler will definitely be a big boost for any team.