Jimmy Butler finally got his wish Saturday as the Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly dealt the former Bulls star to the Philadelphia 76ers.
ESPN reported that Butler will go to Philadelphia in a package that includes Robert Covington and Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second-round pick. Butler gives the Sixers made a Big Three that includes Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Minnesota has agreed to a deal to send Jimmy Butler to Philadelphia for a package that includes Robert Covington and Dario Saric, league sources tell @ZachLowe_NBA and me.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 10, 2018
Just before the trade, Butler played down his rift with Karl-Anthony Towns and the trade speculation that has hovered over the Timberwolves since the start of training camp, telling The Athletic: “I don’t focus on it. I really don’t. If it happens, if something happens, something happens. If it don’t, I’ve still got to go out there and prove that I can hang with the best of them. That’s what I do every time I take the floor. I dap somebody up, and it’s like, ‘Yo, let’s battle tonight.’ ”
The Sun-Times was the first to report last summer that Butler was unhappy in Minnesota after growing frustrated with the nonchalant attitudes of younger teammates — specifically Karl-Anthony Towns.
“I just don’t think there have been many people that have understood how important winning is to me, man,’’ Butler told the Sun-Times in late April. “I just had a conversation about that very thing with somebody — not important who — but I put so much into this game, and I only play to win.”
Butler has one year left on his contract before he can decline his player option and become a free agent in 2019. ESPN reports that Butler and the Sixers are expect to reach a deal on a long-term contract this summer.
