Report: Portland Trail Blazers among teams interested in Jimmy Butler

The Jimmy Butler trade bonanza is in full swing, and the Portland Trail Blazers are among the teams interested in acquiring him.

The writing is on the wall: Jimmy Butler will no longer be a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. And according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Portand Trail Blazers are one of several teams vying to bring the two-way star onto their roster.

Woj recently published an article in which he describes how the trade-talks with the Wolves have yet to become serious, but that there are several teams interested in him:

"” But the list of organizations interested in talking further with Minnesota is significant, league sources said: Brooklyn, Detroit, Houston, the LA Clippers, Miami, Philadelphia and Portland are among the teams interested in probing for deals.”"

With a roster that’s changed only incrementally since the summer of 2016, the Portland Trail Blazers appear wanting to make a splash to drastically increase their ceiling for the upcoming season.

Although Portland was not among the list of Butler’s preferred destinations (Brooklyn, LA Clippers, New York), we’ve seen several recently disgruntled stars traded to teams they did not include on their own lists.

Paul George wanted Los Angeles, he got Oklahoma City. Kyrie Irving wanted Miami, San Antonio, New York, or Minnesota, he got Boston.

These dream destinations don’t necessarily matter, so much as they poke the teams included (and their fan bases) to fire up negotiations. The Wolves will ultimately decide on where Butler lands depending on which organization offers up the best package.

So, what does Minnesota want?

The cynical answer: probably someone from the 2010-11 Chicago Bulls roster to complete Minnesota’s transformation into the Timberbulls.

And hey, Joakim Noah is available…

But I don’t think anyone, not even Tom Thibodeau, could pull the trigger on this disgrace of an exchange.

The real answer: The Wolves likely want someone with comparable talent to propel their young core of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins back into the playoffs.

Wojnarowski wrote:

"“If Thibodeau is destined to be fired at season’s end, those familiar with this thinking say, he’d rather do so by reaching the playoffs for a second straight year with the benefit of Butler on the roster. The idea of missing the postseason in the aftermath of a trade that leaves the Timberwolves devoid of a short-term, comparable talent to Butler is much less appealing to Thibodeau.”"

And of course, never discount the value of future draft picks to entice a dealing team. Especially one in the Timberwolves position, as they will likely have very little leverage in their negotiations. Everyone knows both Butler and the organization (besides Thibodeau) want him out of there.

Who could the Blazers offer?

The most obvious piece Portland has to exchange for Butler talent-wise is CJ McCollum.

While many Blazers fans would hate to see McCollum dealt, a Damian Lillard-Jimmy Butler backcourt may fit better together. Butler is the much better defensive player, and he could take the responsibility off Lillard in defending the best one- or two-guards the Blazers face.

And Butler has shown an affinity for playing heavy minutes, meaning Portland could continue staggering Lillard’s minutes with his co-star to always have an elite player on the court with second-unit lineups.

However, the Blazers would need to weigh what is more important to them: stability over three years or a greater chance at competing over one.

Trading for Butler would mean Portland is only guaranteed one season of his services. And as Butler will enter his 30s next season, the Blazers may not want to commit long-term to a star who has already put so many miles on his legs due to Thibodeau’s regime.

Perhaps instead, the Blazers would want to go an alternate route in their negotiations for Butler.

If Minnesota becomes desperate and uninterested in packages offered by other teams, Portland could try to pry him away with mid-level talent in Evan Turner or Maurice Harkless, a young prospect like Gary Trent Jr., and/or future draft picks.

The deal would then be contingent on how Minnesota grades the Portland players’ fit into their team and what kind of timeline they envision for their core.

From Portland’s perspective, this type of exchange would likely be easier to stomach than one that saw McCollum leave town.

What are the chances Butler comes to Portland?

Right now, I’d say the odds Butler ends up as a Blazer are pretty low. Teams like the LA Clippers appear to have better win-now packages to offer without the sort of teeth grinding that dealing McCollum would lead to. And with a roster already so straitjacketed by large contracts, the Blazers would be best served maintaining their draft picks to continue adding intriguing talent without breaking the bank.

But you truly never know with these kinds of trades.

If Butler ends up in Portland, this next season will be full of wins, drama, and fun.