FanPost

What if the Clippers Don't Want to Give Up Assets or Pay $190M? The Rental Price for Jimmy Butler

Since they are not vying for a championship if they get Butler, and since there’s a chance he still leaves for another team next summer, and, most importantly, since Zach Lowe reports that teams are very skeptical about giving Butler 5yrs/190m, the Clippers, Knicks and Nets may very well let someone else like the Sixers rent Butler for this season, keep their assets and then offer Butler 4yrs/140m to join a loaded club. If they strike out on Butler, they can go after other players without having lost anything at all..

Add to that, the Wolves want to get rid of Gorgui Deng, they don't want to rebuild, and yet they don't want to take back expensive contracts like TIm Hardaway Jr's. If all that is true, the Sixers would be probably the only team in the NBA willing to take Gorgui Dieng’s contract along with Butler as an Embiid insurance policy, in exchange for good veteran players at positions of need who can shoot on expiring contracts, plus some picks to sell for cash or use on prospects, or both.

Taking Dieng’s contract by itself is the equivalent of at least a mid-first round pick. Which should lower the price considerably.

To that, we can offer Wilson Chandler (13m, exp) to replace Jimmy Butler (20m), and Mike Muscala (5m, exp) to replace Dieng (16m). To make the salaries match (80/100), we have to include Jerryd Bayless (9m), since JJ Redick can’t be traded until December 15th, and not without his permission even then. Funny thing is, the Wolves might be the only team in the league where Bayless’ shooting could get him on the floor for a few minutes.

With KAT fit to sign an extension once Butler is dealt, the Wolves would have Bird rights to retain Chandler and Muscala next year at a fraction of the cost of Butler and Dieng.

Wilson Chandler is also the perfect mentor for Keita Bates Diop.

By my calculations, we still must add $2m in salary, and it can’t be Amir Johnson (Dec. 15th) or Dario Saric. Zhaire Smith’s $2M contract works perfectly.

That’s Jimmy Butler & Gorgui Dieng < = > Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, Jerryd Bayless and Zhaire Smith. I think that's the equivalent of offering Wilson Chandler and two mid-first round picks.

The Wolves have no obligation to deal with Butler’s preferred destinations. And if the Clippers aren’t willing to give them Tobias Harris and/or Shai Gilgeous Alexander, the Wolves won't be very inclined to deal with them since the two of them should be scratching and clawing for the 8th seed in the Western Conference. Trading Butler to us instead of the Clippers keeps him from a competitor now, and maybe in the future.

Despite the locker room stuff, Butler did in fact raise the level of play in Minnesota, leading them to the playoffs for the first time in eons. Chicago has been horrendous without him. There’s also a chance hard scrabble Butler meshes well with hardscrabble Philadelphians. Need we rewind Jason Kelce’s victory speech?

Oh and here’s a thought: What if instead of recruiting a star, Elton Brand’s value as a general manager could stem from becoming a big brother to Jimmy Butler? Paul George was supposed to be a rental in OKC unless they went to the Finals or something. But his relationship with Russell Westbrook kept him in one of the smallest markets in the league. With the opportunity to go to the NBA Finals and possibly get the $190m he wants if he helps us come close to winning it, Jimmy Butler has every incentive to be on his best behavior anyway.

And if it doesn’t work out with him, we move forward without him, no sweat. Matter of fact, we can always trade him at the February deadline if he really does hurt the locker room. I’m thinking we could use his expiring contract to get Otto Porter, since the Wizards need cap relief. The Western Conference should be thick with competition come February. What if we get back more than we give?

Given the personalities on our roster, I think we definitely could use his fire if its channeled positively. Plus, I’m not all that in a hurry to take sides with Andrew Wiggins or even Karl Anthony Towns when it comes to defensive commitment.

It should also be known that guys like Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, even the venerated Michael Jordan, would MF bomb you to death in the middle of practice for missing assignments. Rookies weren’t even allowed to speak directly to Kobe Bryant. Just saying. There’s not a lot of downside, while on the other hand we’re trying to win a championship.

Want a modern example? Draymond Green is every bit of an asshole. Yet he and Kevin Durant get along famously. Green even told Demarcus Cousins that the two of them would probably get in a fight during the season. You just can't decide that its not going to work from the jump if the upside is so great and the downside so little.

I think the Sixers have to offer Chandler, Muscala, Zhaire & Bayless for Butler & Dieng.

Even if we included all the draft picks we acquired in trade this summer (MIA21, DET21(2d), DEN22(2d)(swap)), the ultimate result would be taking $27m in capspace, Jerryd Bayless, PHI18 and LA18 and turning it into Jimmy Butler, JJ Redick, Gorgui Dieng, Amir Johnson.

Other teams can offer more. I’m just not sure they want to.

Oh yeah, with a roster spot open, and the MLE at our disposal, I’m throwing a contract at another excellent wing defender, Patrick McCaw:

Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Jimmy Butler, Robert Covington, Joel Embiid

TJ McConnell, JJ Redick, Patrick McCaw, Dario Saric, Gorgui Dieng

Landry Shamet, Furkan Korkmaz, Shake Milton, Jonah Bolden, Amir Johnson.

With all the offensive firepower in the world, I don't think any non-playoff team can score 76 points against us.

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