Perhaps anticipating the buzz if Jimmy Butler went on the block, Knicks president Steve Mills said Monday he wouldn’t give up prime assets to land a free agent to be. In other words, if the Knicks land Butler, it would have to be on the cheap.
With Butler reportedly asking for a trade and giving the Timberwolves three teams on his preferred list — the Knicks, Nets and Clippers — maybe a prime package wouldn’t be needed. The Clippers are his No. 1 choice, according to ESPN.
The report stated he would be willing to re-sign with those three teams. Hence, other clubs may be wary of offering the Wolves a significant package if the former Bulls All-Star is just a rental.
Then again, Butler’s list could be deemed inconsequential. Minnesota can still opt to trade him anywhere, just like the Cavaliers dealt Kyrie Irving to Boston — which was not on his wish list.
But all of this hinges on Minnesota fulfilling his request, and Thibodeau reportedly is not eager to trade Butler.
“We’re not going to trade assets that we can get on our own later,” Mills said at Monday’s Garden fanfest. “We’re not taking shortcuts. We’re not going to trade our draft picks. We believe New York will buy into a plan.”
The Knicks would gladly offer on-the-block Courtney Lee in a package and probably Tim Hardaway Jr., too, in a deal if they thought Irving would join Butler in the summer. Irving and Butler want to pair up in 2019 — possibly with the Knicks.
The Knicks aren’t eager to throw in first-round picks or point guard Frank Ntilikina, which could make them a long shot. Mills was not with the organization in 2011, when the Knicks gave up a trove of assets to Denver for Carmelo Anthony when they could have waited to sign him as a free agent. The trade backfired because of their depletion of assets.
Lee is an underrated two-way shooting guard who plays Butler’s position, and whom Wolves coach/president Tom Thibodeau might relish because he plays defense and is coming off a career year. Hardaway has never been known for his defense. The Knicks have young spare parts to throw into a deal, such as shooting guard Damyean Dotson, point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, combo guard Ron Baker and forward Noah Vonleh.
Butler met Thibodeau on Tuesday to discuss his future, as he reportedly isn’t getting along with the Wolves’ young studs, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
Lee is coming off a strong campaign in which he averaged a personal-best 12 points and shot 40.6 percent from the 3-point stripe. Lee played alongside Hardaway in an undersized 2-3 pairing.
Center Enes Kanter already retweeted the Butler trade demand under the heading, “Make the Knicks Great Again.”
At the very least, the good news for the Knicks is Butler’s potential interest in 2019. Irving had the Knicks on his wish list last year. Mills and GM Scott Perry like to think they have already changed the culture from the Phil Jackson era, with players wanting to play for new coach David Fizdale.
Mills said Monday many of the draft prospects last May expressed excitement to them about the prospect of meeting Fizdale.
Five questions
With Steve Mills and Scott Perry set to address the media Thursday, here are five questions the Knicks front office must answer:
1. Now that Kristaps Porzingis is back in New York and undergoing tests, what is the best-guess estimate on his return?
2. How does Jimmy Butler’s putting the Knicks on his three-team trade wish list affect the team’s thinking about patience for impending free agents?
3. Why wasn’t Joakim Noah brought to training camp for a look and why the delay with him being waived now that Sept. 1 has come and gone?
4. What are the chances of Kevin Knox starting at small forward and center Mitchell Robinson being in the rotation, and what’s their progress been like since summer league?
5. In the watered down East, why hasn’t the organization set making the playoffs as a goal like several players have?