BUTLER WANTS OUT OF WOLVES
A week before the start of training camp, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jimmy Butler reportedly has requested a trade.
The four-time All-Star informed coach Tom Thibodeau of his wishes on Tuesday, according to a report Wednesday from The Athletic, whose sources said that Butler, 29, gave the Timberwolves a list of teams he’d consider signing with for the long term. According to ESPN, those teams are the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers.
Butler joined Minnesota in a trade with the Chicago Bulls in June 2017. He played in 59 games for the Timberwolves last season, averaging 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
Butler is entering the fourth season of a five-year, $92.3 million contract he signed with Chicago in 2015, but he can enter the free agent market next summer by opting out of the final year. In July, Butler reportedly turned down Minnesota’s four-year extension offer worth $110 million.
Meanwhile, Dallas Mavericks billionaire owner Mark Cuban will donate $10 million to women’s leadership and anti-domestic violence groups, the NBA revealed as the findings of an independent investigation into workplace conduct were revealed.
The probe found evidence of “disturbing and heartbreaking” workplace misconduct by current and former members of the Mavericks’ organization, the NBA revealed.
In a joint statement, the league detailed findings after an investigation that lasted several months following the bombshell Sports Illustrated report that revealed a series of harassment allegations against former team president and CEO Terdema Ussery, two domestic violence incidents involving former team reporter Earl K. Sneed and a series of misconduct incidents by former ticket sales employee Chris Hyde.
Elsewhere, Lakers guard Lonzo Ball, the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft who played in 52 games last season, is not ready for contact and will be limited when Los Angeles opens training camp next week.
Head coach Luke Walton said the Lakers are in no rush to put Ball into full-contact drills. Ball had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in July.
The addition of LeBron James in the offseason opened conversation about how the Lakers might use Ball, a pass-first guard who plays with the ball in his hands, while also running the offense through James. The Lakers also signed Rajon Rondo, who could eat into Ball’s minutes at point guard.