Timberwolves Tried To Trade Jimmy Butler To Rockets, Houston Unwilling To Deal P.J. Tucker

The Minnesota Timberwolves are hoping to trade Jimmy Butler before the 2018-2019 NBA season begins, but they can’t seem to find a team that is willing to match their asking price. After a potential deal with the Miami Heat fell apart over the weekend, Minnesota reportedly unsuccessfully tried to make something work with the Houston Rockets.

According to ESPN’s Stefano Fusaro, the Timberwolves asked to receive both Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker in exchange for Butler. The Rockets declined the offer, unwilling to trade Tucker to Minnesota.

Houston is interested in acquiring Butler, though only for the right price. Rockets’ owner Tilman Fertitta essentially said as much in a recent interview with SB Nation.

“We would love to see Jimmy come home to Houston,” Fertitta said. “It’s not a financial decision, it’s an assets decision on our part. We’ve got a great basketball team. We think we’re as good as anybody in the league. We’re not going to give up unreasonable assets, to break up this team, to get Jimmy Butler. But we would love to have him.”

It seems as if Tucker is considered to be an “unreasonable asset” for the Rockets. The small forward didn’t exactly put up big numbers last season, ranking fifth on the team in the playoffs with 8.9 points per game and second with 6.5 rebounds per game. His defensive effort, however, helped transform Houston into the NBA’s best regular-season team, and the Rockets nearly upset the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

Gordon won the 2017 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award and averaged 18.0 points per game for the Rockets last season. Butler is certainly a better player than Gordon and would give Houston an upgrade at the position.

Pairing Chris Paul with James Harden a year ago turned Houston into the biggest threat to upset Golden State. Adding Butler might arguably give the Rockets three top-10 players, something that even the Warriors don’t have on their roster.

Houston defeated Minnesota in the first round of the 2018 playoffs. The Rockets needed just five games to advance, and three of their victories came by 18 points or more. Butler averaged 15.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in the series.

Butler has not played for Minnesota this preseason, and he doesn’t want to play for the Timberwolves in his final year before he can hit free agency. He initially listed the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets as his preferred destinations, but Minnesota hasn’t come close to making a deal with any of those teams.

Miami emerged as the clear favorite to land Butler, though the two sides haven’t been able to come to an agreement.