Days before the start of training camp, Jimmy Butler was due to meet with Minnesota Timberwolves head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau.
Furthermore, with Media Day also looming, the timing of the reported meeting is rather interesting. In addition, it was originally scheduled for Monday in Minnesota, but the location was since changed to Los Angeles.
With Butler looking to have ‘honest conversations’ about his future, the 29-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent and the Los Angeles Lakers have already been linked to him.
After meeting with Thibodeau, Butler requested a trade and provided a list of teams he’s interested in joining, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Jimmy Butler has requested a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, league sources tell me and @JonKrawczynski. Butler has given Minnesota a list of one-to-three teams with whom he's open to signing extension, in anticipation of trade.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 19, 2018
While the teams Butler would like to be traded to is not publicly known, it stands to reason the Lakers would appear on that list. And with Butler open to signing a contract extension, it may be enough to entice them to swing a deal, unlike the situation with Kawhi Leonard.
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