The Los Angeles Clippers are seemingly less and less likely to trade for disgruntled star Jimmy Butler with his free agency looming.
Three games into the regular season and Jimmy Butler is still with the Minnesota Timberwolves. After demanding a trade to several teams, including the Los Angeles Clippers, there has been little momentum. There was a moment when the Miami Heat almost completed a trade for Butler, but that lasted only a weekend before falling apart.
As the season gets going, the likelihood of Butler moving seems to be dropping. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst alluded to this when he appeard on the HoopsHype Podcast with Alex Kennedy over the weekend.
According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, in addition to the Miami Heat, the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks are interested in Jimmy Butler. In this snippet from our weekend podcast (https://t.co/0vgBlNXqIQ), Brian explains why a trade hasn't happened yet: pic.twitter.com/2boyDTn5zP
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) October 23, 2018
According to Windhorst, the market for Butler is almost non-existent with teams either scared to get him as a rental for the rest of the year or not willing to part with assets when they feel they have a shot at signing him next summer.
The Clippers fall into the latter. With Butler hitting the free agency market next summer and already having mentioned LA as a possible destination, it would make sense for the Clips to not make a move.
As of now, the Los Angeles Clippers are 2-2, but have not looked too bad in either loss. Both losses also came against likely playoff contenders who are actually the last two unbeaten teams in the Western Conference.
Windhorst says not only the Clippers, but other teams such as the Dallas Mavericks seem hesitant to do anything for Butler at this point. With the season so young, it’s likely many teams are still high on their rosters and don’t see the need for immediate change.
This rings true in LA. Why move someone or something with value for Butler when you can contend all season, improve rookies like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson and still be able to bring in the All-Star.
We will keep an eye on the Butler situation as the season progresses, but if were a betting man, I would think he finishes the year out in Minnesota before ultimately moving on.
The Clips would be wise to wait him out and add both him and potentially another star in the offseason while they continue to fight in order to earn a playoff berth this season.