Will Jimmy Butler take his talents to South Beach this season?
According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, the four-time All-Star has informed the Minnesota Timberwolves that the Miami Heat is now his preferred trade destination. The Heat have shown interest in trading for Butler, Stein reports, but they've had some difficulty communicating "clearly" with the Timberwolves.
The Heat have pursued Butler as aggressively as any of the 20-plus teams to inquire thus far but, like many, have found it hard to get Minnesota to clearly communicate. League sources say Miami is a team that strongly appeals to the free agent-to-be Butler after a trade https://t.co/YYTQT8FW22
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 26, 2018
Butler met with the Timberwolves to discuss his future with the team a couple of weeks ago. He then informed the franchise that he wanted a trade, with the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers reportedly being at the top of his list at the time.
Many teams have since reached out to the Timberwolves, such as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors.
MORE: 5 trade destinations for Jimmy Butler
Timberwolves president of basketball operations and head coach Tom Thibodeau met with Butler on Monday in hopes of persuading him to rejoin the team, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe. Butler, however, is "uninterested in practicing or playing with the Timberwolves again."