The Timberwolves haven’t received a trade offer for Jimmy Butler they deem acceptable.
That ruffles rival teams.
And apparently Butler, too.
Stefano Fusaro of ESPN:
Adding to this, sources close to Jimmy Butler tell me that he’s extremely frustrated with the Wolves hesitation to get a deal done. (Steep price)The source reiterated that Butler would love to be in Miami, but at this point, he just wants this process to be done 1 way or another. https://t.co/IBjt3dwDWh
— Stefano Fusaro (@S_Fusaro) September 27, 2018
Timberwolves president-coach Tom Thibodeau said he’d honor Butler’s trade request. I guess that isn’t enough for Butler.
Don’t lose sight of Butler’s agenda. He wants to leave Minnesota, so of course he wants a deal done quickly. And he’d probably prefer his new team retain as many assets as possible. It’s in his self-interest to pressure the Timberwolves into a quick, lopsided deal.
Similarly, other teams could try to paint Thibodeau as unreasonable in order to hasten a trade, perhaps one negotiated by Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor.
Butler could have accelerated this process by requesting a trade sooner. He expressed discontent earlier in the summer, but seemingly wasn’t this direct until shortly before training camp. It takes time to garner and assess offers.
Other teams can make a trade happen by making an offer that satisfies Thibodeau. They’re not helpless in this.
I’m not convinced Thibodeau is handling this well. That he let Minnesota’s internal strife reach this point does not reflect favorably on him. But let’s not turn seeking major return for a valuable player into a failing.