Wolves’ Butler heads to 76ers, say reports

THE Minnesota Timberwolves will trade unsettled star Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal which will see three players head the other way, US media reported on Saturday.

Butler, 29, has been agitating for a move away from the Timberwolves since the start of the season, handing a transfer request in September.

He has since played in 10 games, averaging just over 21 points, but has cut an unhappy figure in the Wolves’ 4-9 start to the 2018-2019 campaign.

ESPN reported that the Timberwolves will receive Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless and a second-round pick in exchange for Butler.

The 76ers will also receive Justin Patton as part of the deal which gives Philadelphia a formidable looking Big Three of Butler, Cameroon big man Joel Embiid and Australian Ben Simmons.

“He said he just wants to win,” Simmons said of Butler before Saturday’s 106-112 overtime loss to Memphis. “I think that’s the mindset we all have here. We’re excited to get Jimmy in here.”

The Sixers were left shorthanded on Saturday night because the players involved in the trade did not play against the Grizzlies.

News of Butler’s imminent arrival in Philadelphia prompted Las Vegas bookmakers to slice the Sixers odds of challenging for the NBA Championship.

The Westgate Las Vegas Superbook installed the Sixers as 16-1 shots for the crown, down from 30-1.

The 76ers are currently third in the Eastern Conference standings with eight wins and five defeats.