LA Clippers out of Jimmy Butler race after he’s traded to Philadelphia 76ers

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jimmy Butler has reportedly been traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, effectively ending the LA Clippers’ pursuit.

Former Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jimmy Butler has reportedly been traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Dario Saric, Robert Covington, and a 2022 second-round pick, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Philadelphia and Minnesota will swap injured players Jerryd Bayless and Justin Patton as well, as part of the deal that will reportedly be finalized on Monday.

Philadelphia and Butler both “fully expect” to reach a long-term deal next summer as well, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. In doing so, the LA Clippers would be effectively out of the race to acquire Butler’s talents.

Butler’s next destination has been a talking point since late September, when he told Timberwolves coach and President of Basketball Operations Tom Thibodeau that he desired to be traded. His initial list of teams he preferred a trade to included the Clippers, as well as the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks. The list expanded to include a few other teams not long after, including the Miami Heat.

Up until recently, the Heat were considered the frontrunner to acquire Butler.

The Clippers stayed in conversation with the Thibodeau and the rest of Minnesota’s front office seemingly until the end, as numerous reports from both Wojnarowski and Charania, as well as others, included them in the group of interested teams. Ultimately, the asking price would be too high to warrant a trade.

Minnesota was reportedly requiring that Los Angeles included Tobias Harris in any deal, and the Clippers were hesitant to do so. Harris is arguably LA’s best player and could potentially receive a maximum contract extension from the Clippers following this season. So far, he’s averaging 20.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, both of which are career-bests. He’s also connecting on a career-high 41.7 percent of his three-point attempts.

With Butler off the table, the Clippers will need to look elsewhere next summer for players that can help them on their quest to a title.

Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard are both reportedly players of interest for Los Angeles, and they’re expected to target them both once the free agency period hits in July 2019. The Clippers will need to compete with the Los Angeles Lakers in their pursuit, another team from the Pacific Division that should have more than enough space to land another max-level player.

With Butler off the table, the Clippers can begin to focus on their current core of players and the rest of the NBA season.