Jimmy Butler rumors: Tom Thibodeau, Minnesota Timberwolves still inquiring about Butler

A report from ESPN New York’s Ian Begley mentioned that the Minnesota Timberwolves are interested in using the No. 7 overall pick to get Chicago Bulls star Jimmy Butler

With rumors circulating around a potential Chicago Bulls rebuild, eyes are focused on Jimmy Butler as the piece to fall. Teams interested thus far include Boston, Phoenix, Cleveland, and the under-the-radar Minnesota Timberwolves coached by Tom Thibodeau.

Thibodeau, who was the coach of the Bulls when Butler began his rise to being one the best players in the league, and the Timberwolves have inquired about Butler in a potential trade a couple different occasions since Thibs took over in Minnesota.

Early on draft day afternoon, ESPN New York‘s Ian Begley tweeted this out:

Any package involving Butler requires a significant future return. Again, it’s unclear what Gar Forman and John Paxson are asking, but it will take more than just the No. 7 pick in Thursday’s draft.

Perhaps more than the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota looks more likely, as their cap situation is less in doom. Thibodeau, who selected Butler at No. 30 in 2011, is now the president of basketball operations and head coach of the Timberwolves. Thus, Minnesota would make logical sense as a landing spot.

(Additionally, Cleveland players have reportedly warned Butler to “stay away” from the team, as a break-up could be looming.)

Just as any trade goes however, the nitty-gritty could be a tricky unit of navigation for Minnesota. With high-value, young talents such as Karl Anthony-Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine, it’s hard to see the squad give up their assets.

Potentially involved in the trade, among that list, could be a piece like Zach LaVine, who will hit the restricted free agent market in 2018. Trading LaVine in the Butler deal may add up to a win for both clubs, as LaVine may see reduced minutes with Butler in the folds.

Here’s the reality of the deal

Although LaVine missed the last few months of the season with a torn ACL, it’s not an unrealistic expectation that the guard could evolve into an All-Star. This, however, may keep him in Minnesota at least through 2017-2018.

Ultimately, it’s doubtful that Minnesota would give up a potential All-Star in addition to a pick. It’s much more likely that the Bulls would take on future firsts in the deal. Chicago would also be likely to pick up a bad expiring deal as a way to offset a rebuild.

The Timberwolves’ already traded their first round pick in 2018 to the Atlanta Hawks (lottery protected). One of the pieces they may want to see move elsewhere would be Cole Aldrich, who’s the second-highest salary on the Minnesota book.

If the Bulls go through with the deal, they’d likely own their pick at No. 16 as well, giving them two first round selections in an impressive draft class.

In the way of this deal as well could be the reported interest in De’Aaron Fox (via Chad Ford) and Josh Jackson (via Marc Stein and Ian Begley) as picks in the top-5 selections. It’s not unreasonable to assume Butler is valuable enough as a chip to sneak into one of these spots.

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Here’s what a package might look like:

Essentially, it’s a pick swap this year, Minnesota’s pick in 2019 and Cole Aldrich for the Bulls (which could be nice if Nikola Mirotic leaves town).