The Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to trade Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers, which means, most importantly, that he was not traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
For the moment, you can forget your dreams of Butler hitting a jumper after receiving a pass from LeBron James or Butler chastising Brandon Ingram after the youngster draws another silly foul.
Nope, the Sixers will instead have all the fun as Butler and Justin Patton go to Philadelphia and Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second-round pick head the other way.
That doesn’t mean we can’t discuss how this trade affects the Lakers.
Timberwolves Free To Have Fun Again
Now let's head up to Minnesota to see how the Timberwolves are reacting to the Jimmy Butler trade news: pic.twitter.com/BPSToYAiHd
— #RingerNBA (@ringernba) November 10, 2018
Minnesota is probably better without Butler as the very early numbers show. They have a -8.1 net rating with him on the court and a -4.9 net rating when he is on the bench. They own a 104.5 offensive rating with him and a 108 without.
They are 4-9 on the season as of this writing, have a -7.2 point differential and give up an average of 117.7 points per game, good for 25th. They are also dead last in teams that look like they are having a good time.
There is a case to be made that the Timberwolves play more fluid, cohesive basketball and suddenly play to form. Still, they just lost their leading scorer, so let’s hold off on any parades for the moment. They now have to rely on Karl Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins living up to the hype and doing so consistently.
Lakers fans can sympathize as they’re used to people demanding that their own respective young core hurry up and mature. The Timberwolves are now in the same boat. They have young players that have to prove they can be all this franchise needs, but they are going to do it without a LeBron James on the roster. Suddenly the Lakers’ maturation plight doesn’t seem so daunting.
As for Minnesota, it’s now officially OK to smile and enjoy your job if you happen to be a young franchise player on the Timberwolves.
Trade Market
The Lakers are officially in the reclined position at the poker table, arms crossed as they gaze at the chips they pushed all in towards the middle of the table. Those chips are Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart.
Not interested in rental scenarios, the Lakers have seen other teams trade for the likes of Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and, now, Jimmy Butler. It’s pretty clear the front office is keen on getting better by organic evolution and/or the 2019 free agent market.
Speaking of which.
Free Agency
If I’m being honest, and you might want to sit down for this, the Butler trade doesn’t really affect the Lakers too much.
Los Angeles has forged their own path like the intrepid trendsetters that they are. They have dug in their figurative heels and demanded to win games via fast break and consistent defense. It’s going to be really fun when they get around to employing that last part.
In any case, Butler, from all recent rumors, was never going to don purple and gold. It looked all the more likely that, had he opted out and come to Los Angeles, would wear that red and white uniform that other L.A. team wears.
Now that he is a Sixer the question remains whether he remains so after this summer. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, it looks like that very well might be the case.
Sixers and Butler aren't allowed to enter into a negotiation or a agree on an extension yet, but barring physical issues or Butler failing to fit into the Embiid-Simmons dynamic both sides are optimistic on a long-term future. Sixers would be paying a steep price for a rental. https://t.co/eJv11Ynfsc
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 10, 2018
So cross Jimmy Buckets off your shopping list, because they are sold out at the NBA superstore.
If anything, this latest blockbuster trade means the Lakers will remain isolated to figure out how to win the west without much help from other teams. It’s really selfish of those other teams if you ask me.
