NBA Trade Rumors: Jimmy Butler To Portland Trail Blazers Makes Sense
The Minnesota Timberwolves, depending on who you believe are either trying to trade Jimmy Butler or keep him. But, if the rumors are true, Butler is on his way out and there are a slew of teams who could use his services. While Butler gave the Timberwolves his choice of three teams (Knicks, Clippers, Nets), the one not mentioned could be the best place for all parties involved. The Portland Trail Blazers will be a great fit and may give the Wolves the best assets.
Imagine a lineup that features Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkic, and Butler. While it’s still not as strong as what the Golden State Warriors will throw out on the court, the Blazers could leapfrog the Houston Rockets as the second-best team in the Western Conference. According to Bleacher Report, this could be a done deal of the Timberwolves were willing to accept the package.
Zach Buckley believes a trade offering of C.J. McCollum, Meyers Leonard, and Caleb Swanigan should be enough to for the Wolves to agree to send Butler and Gorgui Dieng to Portland. While fans will scoff at the notion of McCollum being included, they must remember that the Blazers have not had playoffs success with Lillard and McCollum as the leads.
Adding Jimmy Butler will allow the Blazers the firepower they need to get defensive on the perimeter. The outside shooting of McCollum will be missed but adding the slashing ability that Butler possesses will give the Blazers the kind of offense that have missed for a while. But it just doesn’t stop with Butler. By adding Dieng, the Blazers will get a big body to place next to Nurkic to take some pressure off him defensively and help on the boards. While Dieng has surendered time to Taj Gibson, he’s still an effective rebounder and post defender if given minutes.
What the Portland Trail Blazers must be concerned with is Butler. He has a player option at the end of the season and if things don’t go well with Lillard, he could depart, thus leaving the team with nothing to show for departing with McCollum.
[BXReporter] [matchedcontent]
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
