Jimmy Butler is on his way out of Minnesota. The disgruntled Timberwolves star has been pushing for a trade since well before the season began and he's finally got his wish. Butler is being traded to Philadelphia in a deal that includes All-Defensive First Team member Robert Covington and forward Dario Saric, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski added that the team and Butler expect to strike a long-term deal over the summer.
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.
In addition to Butler, Philadelphia will receive Justin Patton for a second-round pick. Wojnarowski reports that the trade is part of a plan to build a core around Butler, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
The Timberwolves initially drew a hard bargain for their star player, reportedly asking high prices of teams that showed interest. However, the decision to get rid of Butler and do so quickly came down to coach Tim Thibodeau who allegedly reached his breaking point with Butler and the negative energy all of his trade talk brought to the team.
Butler, for his part, was happy to play the villain if it got him away from the Wolves. He recently encouraged Minnesota fans to boo him as his tense relationship with the team metastasized into unhinged practices and Butler sitting out games in protest. Fans will get another chance to voice their displeasure when the Butler returns to Minnesota in March.
