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Adrian WojnarowskiESPN
The Miami Heat pushed the Minnesota Timberwolves to accept a revised commercial offer on Wednesday for star striker Jimmy Butler, ESPN sources told the league.
The talks have been going on for two weeks, but no exchange was concluded or imminent late Wednesday night, sources in the league said.
Minnesota's preferences in an agreement with Miami included the center Bam Adebayo, goalkeeper Josh Richardson and a protected first-round pick in 2019, League sources said. An exchange could take a bigger build to include more players, said league sources.
In any deal with Butler, Minnesota wanted to unload the Gorgui Dieng center and the remaining $ 48 million of its contract.
Timberwolves executives told other interested teams in the last 24 hours that they did not have any offers meeting the criteria of the franchise to honor Butler's trade request and planned to hold it until the conditions were met. are gathered, said league sources. Miami is one of Butler's favorite destinations, league sources said. He announced to the Wolves that he would leave the team in July, in free autonomy, and showed his interest for several teams with a maximum of salary space, including LA Clippers, Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks .
In an exchange Jimmy Butler, which teams should offer the most?
One would think that Minnesota's first appearance in the playoffs in 14 years would be a cause for exciting optimism. Unfortunately for Tom Thibodeau, this is not the case.
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Houston has also been aggressive in its attempts to trade against Butler, sources said. Like Miami, Houston does not have the salary space required to sign Butler this summer and must acquire it now to secure Bird's rights to keep it on a new deal in July.
When the Timberwolves return from a preparatory trip on the West Coast on Thursday morning, basketball operations president and coach Tom Thibodeau is expected to lobby for Butler to resume training and begin preparations for the regular season, indicated sources of the league.
Butler could return as early as next week, but has not yet made a decision and is still suffering from pain in the surgically repaired right wrist, sources told the league.
Butler, 29, has expressed no intention of missing regular season games when he is in good health, said a league source.
Up to now, Minnesota has allowed Butler to stay out during the pre-season; presumably while the team is working to find him a job. While the Wolves were traveling, Butler worked on the team's premises and was in regular contact with his teammates, including leader Jeff Teague.
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