Cleveland Cavaliers entering mix for Jimmy Butler

Plenty of teams are interested in trading for Jimmy Butler, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are now in the mix.

With his trade demand this past week, it’s clear the Minnesota Timberwolves and Jimmy Butler are headed for a parting of ways. After reports of some differences on the matter between coach/president of basketball Tom Thibodeau and owner Glen Taylor, there may be some alignment of focus to trade Butler sooner rather than later.

Butler has reportedly stated a preference to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, the New York Knicks or the Brooklyn Nets, as all three will have a lot of cap space looking toward next summer. The Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat are among the teams with reported interest. Butler’s interest the Knicks may be overstated, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, as he wants to win now as opposed to later.

But ESPN’s Adrian Wojanowski has now added another team to the list of suitors for Butler.

The post-LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers could use some proven star power, and Butler would fit that bill. Exactly who or what would go from Cleveland to Minnesota in a potential deal is unclear. But Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and Wolves’ owner Taylor were seen speaking at the recent NBA Board of Governors meeting, for what it’s worth alongside a report Taylor told interested teams to contact him directly about a Butler trade. But Wojnarowski has cited their prior involvements in the deal that sent Kevin Love to Cleveland for Andrew Wiggins in 2014.

The Timberwolves’ trade leverage is practically non-existent, as Butler want to be gone and frankly they should want to remove a budding (or not already bloomed) locker room cancer. But they also won’t lack for incoming offers, so it’s just a matter of getting a suitable return that doesn’t invite talk they got fleeced.