The first round of trade discussions between the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves regarding All-Star Jimmy Butler have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean the Heat have lost interest in the disgruntled forward.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst joined a recent episode of the “HoopsHype Podcast” to say that the Heat are still interested in trying to trade for Butler if they can:
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“You have the teams that actually want to trade for him, teams like Miami, for example, and Houston. He has more value to them because you know, they wouldn’t be able to have a chance at him in free agency so they have reduced leverage because of it, but, they realize that they’re trading for a distressed asset so they’re not going to offer the packages that Minnesota would want.”
Considering the deal that failed to get Minnesota to budge earlier this month, which was reportedly headlined by Josh Richardson and a protected first-round draft pick, it will be interesting to see what kind of deal the Heat would agree to now.
With the season now underway, it is unclear whether or not trading for Richardson would even be an option for the Wolves. Butler is currently averaging 25.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.
Those are undoubtedly elite numbers, but Richardson has started the 2018-19 season off strongly as well. The Heat swingman is currently posting averages of 18.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. While Butler’s numbers are undoubtedly better, he is also quite a bit older and has a history filled with injuries.
Either way, it was reported last week that the Heat would not restart trade talks unless the Wolves approach them with a potential deal. Only time will tell if the seemingly inept organization from Minnesota will do anything of the sort.
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