Forget personality clashes or desire to win, Butler's saga was all about money
There's a line of thinking that most problems in the world have more to do with economics than politics.
The Jimmy Butler saga in Minnesota certainly qualifies.
For all the drama and perceived personality clashes, Butler's exit was about him wanting to get paid next summer when he becomes a free agent. The Timberwolves already made hefty financial commitments to their younger players.
So Butler finally got his wish this week, moving to Philadelphia along with Justin Patton for Dario Saric, Robert Covington, Jerryd Bayless and a second-round draft pick. The key players debuted with their new teams Wednesday.
Butler scored 14 points and Philadelphia blew a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter, losing at Orlando 111-106. Not a great result, but no reason to get carried away with one loss after limited practice time.
Minnesota beat New Orleans 107-100, and coach Tom Thibodeau wasted no time getting Covington up to speed. Covington, a Proviso West grad, played 41 minutes in his Timberwolves debut.
This trade could end up working well for both teams. The 76ers have two of the brightest young stars in the Eastern Conference in center Joel Embiid and point guard Ben Simmons. A wing scorer like Butler, someone who can deliver in late-game situations, is a nice fit for Philadelphia.
Simmons barely even tries to shoot jumpers. In 96 career games, he's 0-for-11 from 3-point range, with zero attempts this season. Clearly, he's a long way from being a helpful scorer in crunchtime, when referees tend to swallow whistles and jump shots are the most effective weapon.
Depth could be an issue for the Sixers.
Wilson Chandler is now starting at small forward and former No. 1 overall draft pick Markelle Fultz remains a mystery. But by trading Covington, who had a long-term contract, and Saric, due for an extension in 2020, Philadelphia essentially cleared the books for a Butler deal.
Embiid already has a max extension, but the Sixers get two more years with Simmons on a rookie-scale contract.
Minnesota already handed over a pair of massive extensions to Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony Towns, and the Timberwolves overpaid badly for backup center Gorgui Dieng ($48.6 million over the next three years). Owner Glen Taylor can look forward to owing Wiggins and Towns $33 million each during the 2022-23 campaign.
Did Butler actually dislike Towns or was he offended by the idea of all those paychecks? When he returned to practice late in training camp, Butler reportedly yelled, "You need me to win," after dominating a scrimmage against the team's starters.
The Timberwolves ended a 14-year playoff drought last season with Butler's help. But you really have to wonder what the long-term plan was when they sent three pretty good pieces - Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen - to the Bulls last year. There was never much chance Minnesota would be able to spend the money to keep Butler long term.
Under the circumstances, the latest trade wasn't a terrible outcome. Thibodeau got two quality players in return, a better outcome than Butler walking away as a free agent.
And maybe there's a chance all that money committed to Wiggins and Towns will have a positive outcome. Wiggins scored a season-high 23 points Wednesday, the first game after Butler packed up and left. Towns responded with 25 points and 16 rebounds.
"It just appeared that they weren't working together as a team or as a unit the way that they should've," Taylor told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "The only thing that was different that we had was Jimmy's position of leaving the team. Maybe that was affecting guys more than they even knew themselves."
Butler's job now is to erase the perception that he's a toxic teammate. His inner fire seems to create a tendency to look at his teammates and ask, "Why don't these losers work as hard as me?" - sometimes out loud.
Butler is older than Embiid and Simmons, and he needs to build a partnership as soon as possible. His summer payday depends on it.
• Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls
Bulls game day
Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum, 8:30 p.m. Friday
TV: WGN, ESPN
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Outlook: The Bulls didn't fare well in Boston on Wednesday, and now they'll battle the two best teams in the East on back-to-back nights. Milwaukee dropped to 10-4 after losing its first home game of the season, 116-113 to Memphis on Wednesday. Giannis Antetokounmpo might be the early leader in the MVP race; he's averaging 25.8 points, 12.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists. SG Khris Middleton is averaging 19.4 points and shooting 45 percent from 3-point range. PG Eric Bledsoe, SG Malcolm Brogdon and C Brook Lopez also are averaging in double figures. The Bucks lead the NBA in 3-point baskets per game with 14.8. The Bulls have gone 13-3 in Milwaukee over the last eight seasons and won both games there last year, but that was all at the Bradley Center. The Bulls got a look at the new Fiserv Forum during the preseason and lost badly.
Next: Toronto Raptors at the United Center, 7 p.m. Saturday,
- Mike McGraw