On September 19, 2018, it was reported that Jimmy Butler requested a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Reasons for the request are unclear, however, some think it’s because of a beef between Butler and Andrew Wiggins. Others think it’s Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns. Nevertheless, Butler wants out of Minnesota, but what teams would be the best fit? Butler, obviously, has no control over what team he’s traded to, but he’s a free agent after the upcoming season. This begs the questions as to which teams would be best for Butler considering all factors. A Jimmy Butler trade can benefit many teams. This includes coaching, skill-set, system, and the overall talent around him. We took a look to find the top three teams that would fit, and New York teams are not included.
Houston Rockets
Chris Paul, James Harden, Carmelo Anthony, Clint Capella, and Jimmy Butler? This starting lineup seems odd, but the fit would be so good for him. This past offseason the Rockets lost frontcourt assets an key defenders Luc Mbah a Moute and Trevor Ariza. Although the Rockets acquired Carmelo Anthony, he isn’t a big defensive piece.
Insert Jimmy Butler.
He’s a strong defender who averaged 2.0 steals per game, which was fourth in the league. Butler did only play 59 games, but nonetheless, he proved to be a strong two-way player. With the Butler, Houston can seriously compete with defending champions, Golden State Warriors.
Philadelphia 76ers
Even with all their current talent, they’re not very close to competing with the Celtics or Raptors. However, an addition of Jimmy Butler can change that. Inserting Butler into the 76ers would give them a starting lineup of, Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, and Joel Embiid.
Yes, the three-point shooting isn’t the best, but here you have three great scorers along with a top role-player in Robert Covington. The lineup would consist of two all-NBA performers as well as two all-NBA defensive players. Jimmy Butler’s only one player but perhaps adding him to “the process” would speed it up a little and give the 76ers a strong chance in the east. This all goes along with the fantastic coaching of Brett Brown, who looks like he can do nothing but improve after last season.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The first two teams are already contenders heading into the season, but the Cavs can use Jimmy Butler more than any of them. Cleveland arguably endured the biggest shot of the offseason after losing the best player in the world, LeBron James. Everyone thinks the Cavs are back to being an awful franchise, but that may not be true. They already have an established star in Kevin Love, and with LeBron gone he can somewhat get back to his old self. Inserting Jimmy Butler into the equation makes it all the sweeter for them.
Pairing Butler and Love creates yet another guard-forward tandem to fear, especially in the East. Kevin Love is a good defender, and Jimmy Butler is a great one. Beyond this, both players are very good offensively, can shoot the 3, and go to work in the paint. Beneficially for the Cavs, this pairing would be alongside young PG Jordan Clarkson, talented rookie Colin Sexton, and everyone’s favorite player Cedi Osman.
The Knicks, Nets, and Clippers
You’re probably wondering why the Knicks, Nets, or Clippers are not on this list. Simply because when you attach Butler with all these teams, it always comes with whether he can get a big-name free agent with him. Yes, reportedly Butler is more interested in the Clippers than anything else, but this is about which teams serve as the best fit. Nobody can judge Butler and those three teams because it’s not likely a free agent such as Kyrie Irving goes there.
It’s highly debatable, but I think that a team is unable to win a championship with Jimmy Butler as their best player.
Do you believe that there are teams that serve as better fits for Butler than the ones I listed? Do you think Butler would still flourish as a member of the Knickerbockers or the Nets? Debate me.