2018 Minnesota Timberwolves Off-Season Thread

Donate To GopherHole
STrib: Wolves' Jimmy Butler says meeting with front office isn't until Tuesday

The meeting that reportedly was going to happen Monday between Jimmy Butler and the Timberwolves front office, a meeting billed as a potential pivotal moment for Butler’s future in the franchise, didn’t happen — at least according to Butler.

Butler tweeted late Monday night that the meeting is actually occurring Tuesday. It was widely reported over the weekend that it was going to be Monday.

“Exactly why people need to stop believing what you see on the internet,” Butler tweeted. “I wonder what else people write and people believe. Hmmm.”

The meeting will take place after an offseason filled with soap opera-like drama for the Wolves and Butler, with reports surfacing that he is frustrated playing with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, the two young cornerstones of the franchise.

Butler rejected the Wolves’ offer of a four-year, $110 million extension in July, a move that was not so much a repudiation of the Wolves but a business move since Butler could net up to $80 million more if he signs a new contract after this coming season (Butler has a player option on his current deal and can opt out of his contract after this upcoming season).

Training camp opens next week.

Towns has yet to sign his maximum contract extension and has until Oct. 15 to do so. If Butler is unhappy and indicates to the Wolves he will not sign with them next offseason, the most prudent option for the Wolves might be to trade Butler before the deadline in February and get something in return for him instead of letting him walk for nothing.

http://www.startribune.com/wolves-j...h-front-office-isn-t-until-tuesday/493548081/

Howl Wolves!!
 

Souhan: Wolves, Jimmy Butler have reached the tipping point

The Wolves have three options:

• Trade Butler now, try to land a quality player who will be more complementary and complimentary to Towns and Wiggins, and hope the pieces fit.

• Defer the decision until the trade deadline, to get a better feel for the team’s chances of winning big this year and whether Butler is willing to fit into the team’s long-term plans.

• Keep Butler all year and try to win enough to persuade Butler and Towns to harmonize on “Kumbaya.”

Not that the Wolves’ choices are simple or easy. If they explored a Butler trade, word would leak, Butler would be offended and the Wolves would have to follow through. If they don’t explore a Butler trade, they’re signaling Towns and Wiggins that they’d better get used to public rebukes.

It’s hard to know what the Wolves should do until we know more about the meeting. Did Butler serve single malt or tap water? Did he play Prince or “I Love LA”?

Downtrodden Wolves fans should think of it this way: The least attractive option for their franchise might be keeping an All-Star on the roster and trying to win 50-plus games. Beats watching Jonny Flynn pass to Darko Milicic.

http://www.startribune.com/timberwolves-jimmy-butler-have-reached-the-tipping-point/493659611/

Howl Wolves!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Souhan: Wolves, Jimmy Butler have reached the tipping point

The Wolves have three options:

• Trade Butler now, try to land a quality player who will be more complementary and complimentary to Towns and Wiggins, and hope the pieces fit.

• Defer the decision until the trade deadline, to get a better feel for the team’s chances of winning big this year and whether Butler is willing to fit into the team’s long-term plans.

• Keep Butler all year and try to win enough to persuade Butler and Towns to harmonize on “Kumbaya.”

Not that the Wolves’ choices are simple or easy. If they explored a Butler trade, word would leak, Butler would be offended and the Wolves would have to follow through. If they don’t explore a Butler trade, they’re signaling Towns and Wiggins that they’d better get used to public rebukes.

It’s hard to know what the Wolves should do until we know more about the meeting. Did Butler serve single malt or tap water? Did he play Prince or “I Love LA”?

Downtrodden Wolves fans should think of it this way: The least attractive option for their franchise might be keeping an All-Star on the roster and trying to win 50-plus games. Beats watching Jonny Flynn pass to Darko Milicic.

http://www.startribune.com/timberwolves-jimmy-butler-have-reached-the-tipping-point/493659611/

Howl Wolves!!
Click to expand...

How about Glen does the right thing for once and fires Thibs so Butler can actually be traded (I can't see Thibs doing it). The argument of "but they just made the playoffs for the first time" doesn't mean jack and completely ignores how Thibs has destroyed the momentum this franchise had going for the future. It is media day coming up on the 24th and only three players are in town right now. That is a very bad sign on its own. Total s**t show goin on. I wonder if I can get my money back on my ticket package?
 





Adrian Wojnarowski@wojespn

"Minnesota's Jimmy Butler has three preferred destinations for a trade, league sources tell ESPN: The Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks. Those three teams have max cap space to sign Butler as a free agent in July".

1. If they need a salary match from one of those three teams, bench Butler until the trade deadline.

2. Not only does this make nearly all the TimberBulls acquisitions seem even worse it blows a whale-sized hole in the "Butler is Thib's guy" theories.
 

I'll trade Butler for a good young player and assets or another superstar. Only way we keep Thibs is if we trade for another star, otherwise let him go. Not good for young team
 




JimmyJamesMD said:
I'll trade Butler for a good young player and assets or another superstar. Only way we keep Thibs is if we trade for another star, otherwise let him go. Not good for young team
Click to expand...

I think a superstar is a really tough ask at this point.
This is a disaster for any other franchise.
For the Timberwolves, just business as usual.
 


Breakin' The Plane said:
I think a superstar is a really tough ask at this point.
This is a disaster for any other franchise.
For the Timberwolves, just business as usual.
Click to expand...

I agree on the superstar thing. But that would be the only way to save Thibs job
 

Ian Begley‏@IanBegley

Worth noting on Jimmy Butler: Knicks president Steve Mills said at a fan event on Monday that the Knicks will not trade assets for players that they feel they can sign in free agency:
 



Can Butler get the supermax on another team if gets traded, doesn't sign an extension, then signs with his new team as a Free Agent?
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
I agree on the superstar thing. But that would be the only way to save Thibs job
Click to expand...

Plus if you're familiar with the rosters of the three teams on his list, the best player on each team is probably Porzingis, Deangelo Russell and Lou Williams. Each is a fine player, but nowhere near superstar status.
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
Can Butler get the supermax on another team if gets traded, doesn't sign an extension, then signs with his new team as a Free Agent?
Click to expand...

From what I've read, no. His Bird Rights only go with him on a trade. He can only sign the maximum, ah, maximum contract for a team that owns his Bird Rights.
 

Iceland12 said:
From what I've read, no. His Bird Rights only go with him on a trade. He can only sign the maximum, ah, maximum contract for a team that owns his Bird Rights.
Click to expand...

I worded my question wrong.

So if he gets traded to the Knicks, doesn't sign an extension, then re-ups with the Knicks, would that be the super max?
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
I worded my question wrong.

So if he gets traded to the Knicks, doesn't sign an extension, then re-ups with the Knicks, would that be the super max?
Click to expand...

My understanding is yes, if Butler is traded before his contract expires, he keeps any Bird Rights he has and can negotiate with the team he's been traded to next July.

Additionally, I think that's why the Wolves made him that $110 million offer earlier this summer. It solidified their ability to offer that "Super Max" contract to him.
 

Iceland12 said:
My understanding is yes, if Butler is traded before his contract expires, he keeps any Bird Rights he has and can negotiate with the team he's been traded to next July.

Additionally, I think that's why the Wolves made him that $110 million offer earlier this summer. It solidified their ability to offer that "Super Max" contract to him.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

Its funny he says this isnt about Towns or Wiggins. It is.

He wants out, but wants to get paid super max, so he wants to get traded now, to keep those Bird Rights.
 

I don't follow the Wolves closely, so pardon my ignorance, but is it safe to presume that Butler's primary beef is with KAT and Wiggins? That building a franchise around those two won't produce a contender because they're soft and/or incomplete players? Or are there other factors involved here? Disenchantment with Thibs?

I have to say, there's a strong possibility that Butler is right about KAT and Wiggins.
 

Bad Gopher said:
I don't follow the Wolves closely, so pardon my ignorance, but is it safe to presume that Butler's primary beef is with KAT and Wiggins? That building a franchise around those two won't produce a contender because they're soft and/or incomplete players? Or are there other factors involved here? Disenchantment with Thibs?

I have to say, there's a strong possibility that Butler is right about KAT and Wiggins.
Click to expand...

Just an opinion, but the first two seem to come into play. The tweet from Wiggins brother makes that seem more probable.

There have also been plenty of rumors about how Butler and Irving want to play together. That couldn't happen here.

The "disenchantment with Thibs" seems to be coming from everybody but the sportswriters that want to suck up to him and Butler himself.
 


Bad Gopher said:
I don't follow the Wolves closely, so pardon my ignorance, but is it safe to presume that Butler's primary beef is with KAT and Wiggins? That building a franchise around those two won't produce a contender because they're soft and/or incomplete players? Or are there other factors involved here? Disenchantment with Thibs?

I have to say, there's a strong possibility that Butler is right about KAT and Wiggins.
Click to expand...

Butler has shown himself to be a first rate D-bag. Les needs to get him that trophy.

Butler messed with Towns and his girlfriend. Not saying it was physical but it he did anger Towns big time. That was a part of all this. I'm also assuming Butler finally realizes that Thibs is the worst.
 

tikited said:
Butler has shown himself to be a first rate D-bag. Les needs to get him that trophy.

Butler messed with Towns and his girlfriend. Not saying it was physical but it he did anger Towns big time. That was a part of all this. I'm also assuming Butler finally realizes that Thibs is the worst.
Click to expand...

Whoa whoa whoa......this is the first Ive heard of the gf thing
 



tikited said:
How about Glen does the right thing for once and fires Thibs so Butler can actually be traded (I can't see Thibs doing it). The argument of "but they just made the playoffs for the first time" doesn't mean jack and completely ignores how Thibs has destroyed the momentum this franchise had going for the future. It is media day coming up on the 24th and only three players are in town right now. That is a very bad sign on its own. Total s**t show goin on. I wonder if I can get my money back on my ticket package?
Click to expand...

If the coach of the year can fired so can Thibs


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
Plus if you're familiar with the rosters of the three teams on his list, the best player on each team is probably Porzingis, Deangelo Russell and Lou Williams. Each is a fine player, but nowhere near superstar status.
Click to expand...

I would take Porzingis straight up for Butler all day and night.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Sportsfan24 said:
I would take Porzingis straight up for Butler all day and night.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Wish it worked that way too.

Right now there are two problems with that. First Knicks president Steve Mills said at a fan event on Monday that the Knicks will not trade assets for players that they feel they can sign in free agency. He said that was one of the biggest mistake the previous regimes have made. By July, they would have the cap space to sign Butler. Albeit without Butlet getting the Supermax contract.

Secondly, Butler makes $20.4 million and Porzingis makes $5.7. Thats a lot of "filler" that the Wolves would have to take back.

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine
 

Iceland12 said:
Wish it worked that way too.

Right now there are two problems with that. First Knicks president Steve Mills said at a fan event on Monday that the Knicks will not trade assets for players that they feel they can sign in free agency. He said that was one of the biggest mistake the previous regimes have made. By July, they would have the cap space to sign Butler. Albeit without Butlet getting the Supermax contract.

Secondly, Butler makes $20.4 million and Porzingis makes $5.7. Thats a lot of "filler" that the Wolves would have to take back.

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine
Click to expand...

And most importantly; if all things were equal NY wouldn’t make that trade. Butler is an tier 2 “Super Star” without Porzingis upside.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom