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Report: Cavs pursuing star forward Jimmy Butler in trade talks

By Quenton S. Albertie

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 8: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 8, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 8: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 8, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Can the Cleveland Cavaliers pry Jimmy Butler away from the Minnesota Timberwolves?

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cleveland Cavaliers are pursuing a trade for Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Jimmy Butler in light of Butler’s request to be dealt to a new team.

Wojnarowski adds that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, who were both players in the trade that brought All-Star Kevin Love to Cleveland in exchange for former first overall pick Andrew Wiggins were seen talking privately at the NBA Board of Governors meeting on Friday.

This should have been expected considering that the Cleveland Cavaliers still want to be a playoff-contender without LeBron James on the roster.

Further, while Butler is a player who can replace James at small forward, he’s a player that Kyrie Irving has been said to be interested in teaming up with.

A return to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Irving seems like a pipe dream but, for the Cavs, crazier things have happened.

The biggest question is what or who the Cavs have that the Wolves would want.

They have no first-round pick that they can send, with there being so certainty they’ll own the conditional 2019 first-round pick they sent to the Atlanta Hawks for Kyle Korver.

Rookie Collin Sexton, the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, could emerge as the next franchise point guard for the Wolves who have had notoriously bad luck with the position with players like Jonny Flynn, Ricky Rubio and Kris Dunn each failing to thrive in the role after being drafted by them.

Shooting guard Rodney Hood could have value to them as a perimeter scorer, though he’d have to waive his no-trade clause to join the Wolves. Because he would lose his Bird Rights and he’d also be placing himself in a brand new situation in the most important year of his career, he won’t though.

All-Star Kevin Love, who starred for the franchise prior to being traded to Cleveland , is an unlikely option because of his near-max contract and the defensive concerns that a frontcourt with both Love and Karl Anthony-Towns would bring.

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Despite the presence of Wolves point guards Jeff Teague (who the Cavs could also ask for in a trade) and Derrick Rose, Sexton would likely be the main piece in a trade for Butler. However, with no assurances Butler would return next summer, the Cavs would likely also ask for a first-round draft pick as well.