How Jimmy Butler's Trade Request Could Impact Kevin Durant's Free Agency Decision

SHANGHAI, CHINA - OCTOBER 08: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors in action against Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors as part of 2017 NBA Global Games China at Mercedes-Benz Arena on October 8, 2017 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Zhong Zhi/Getty Images)

Just days before training camps open, Minnesota Timberwolves star Jimmy Butler has rudely awoken NBA fans from their summer slumber. After a tete-a-tete with the Wolves top brass, Butler has given the troubled franchise a shortlist of three teams that he wants to be traded to - the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Brooklyn Nets.

While none of those destinations adding Butler right now should impede the Warriors quest for the NBA’s first three-peat in 15 years, they could very well have some implications for the crucial task beyond that, convincing Kevin Durant to stay put next summer. Both are headliners of next summer’s premier free agent class, and both play a similar position as NBA wings. With only so many superstars to go around, where Butler ends up could narrow the options for Durant.

New York Knicks

From the Warriors point of view, the Knicks are probably the most attractive destination. New York is out of the conference and Butler on his own is unlikely to get them to the Finals this year, especially with Kristaps Porzingis out.

But more importantly, the Knicks are one of the most rumored destinations for Durant next summer. In one fell swoop, Durant would become the savior of the Knicks, rebuilding his reputation and rescuing his legacy from the “ring-chasing” epithet attached to his name by some after his move to Golden State. At least that’s the narrative. It’s not clear how real any of that is beyond some wishful thinking and the long-time affinity his manager, Rich Kleiman, has for the franchise.

If Butler ends up there though, it would really scupper a Durant move. If the Knicks could carve out space for another max star a guard would surely be at the top of their list. Say, perhaps, Kyrie Irving, already hotly rumored to be their top target anyway. An Irving, Butler, Porzingis trio would be a very nicely balanced core for the Knicks to contend, but crucially for Golden State fans leave no room at the inn for Durant.

Los Angeles Clippers

This is probably the worst of both worlds for the Warriors. Butler moves in next door and doesn’t block any potential landing spots for Durant. Indeed he may even open up a new one if the Clippers become a viable destination and Durant wants to play in LA, but without doubling down on the “ring-chasing” insults by joining LeBron James.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports this is Butler’s preferred destination though. They will have a second max slot next summer and the Kawhi Leonard talk has already marked them as the preferable of the two Los Angeles teams. Leonard and Butler would form a pretty mean defensive wing duo. In the meantime, Butler would likely be enough to vault them back into the playoffs, and at the very least give the Warriors another four tough games in their own divisional backyard.

Brooklyn Nets

This is where things get weird. The Nets are the third team on Butler’s list despite being a long way from any kind of contention. Why Butler would want to play there, other than the size of the market, is a bit of a mystery.

Herein lies the paradox of the NBA. It is supposedly about winning. But when a player like Durant makes a career choice to put himself in the best possible position to win, after years of trying to carry his own team to the mountaintop, he is vilified. Yet if Butler, a star player slap bang in the middle of his prime, requests to leave a playoff team for one of the worst teams in the league, no-one bats an eyelid.

Butler moving to Brooklyn won’t make any difference to Durant’s choice next summer but it does shine a light on the double standards NBA athletes get held to, and Durant has borne the brunt of that the last few years.

Los Angeles Lakers

To hammer this point home there was one big market team noticeable by their absence from Butler’s list, the Los Angeles Lakers. Indeed the arrival of LeBron James in LA appears to have put Butler off playing there entirely. From his list Butler wants to be in a big market, but also wants to be the man himself. Joining another star, and sacrificing to create something bigger than oneself, seem to be lower priorities right now.

Durant knows only too well the cost of doing that. One the one hand you face the brunt of NBA fan anger. On the other, you have a shot at capturing that elusive NBA jewelry. For Butler that doesn’t appear to be a trade he’s willing to make right now. For Durant, no-one has yet explained why he would seek to change the narrative about him by doubling down and forming another NBA superteam when he has one of his own.

Durant’s future is a little more certain than Butler’s. But while Butler will have a new home sooner than later, speculation about Durant’s motives will loom over the Warriors season like an unpleasant gathering raincloud. Their task to persuade him to stay could be made easier or harder depending on where Butler ends up.

Ultimately though the Warriors can offer Durant a better chance at winning, more money, and familiarity with teammates and a fan base that has come to embrace him, all in a huge market of their own as they move to the Chase Center. That’s an offer most NBA stars would gladly grab with both hands.

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Read Again Brow https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmurray/2018/09/20/how-jimmy-butlers-trade-request-could-impact-kevin-durants-free-agency-decision/

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