The Jimmy Butler saga appears to have finally come to a close.
The Minnesota Timberwolves traded Butler and Justin Patton to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second-round pick.
Sources: Philadelphia's Jerryd Bayless has also been traded to Minnesota as part of Jimmy Butler deal. Covington/Saric/Bayless/2022 2nd for Butler and Patton. https://t.co/qSvFzjG5BU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 10, 2018
Charania is reporting that the Sixers and Timberwolves will have a trade call on Monday to finalize the deal. With that in mind, Butler would likely make his Sixers debut on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski .
Butler had contemplated sitting out Friday's game against the Sacramento Kings when the trade began to look like a real possibility. The All-Star ended up scoring 13 points in 41 minutes for the Timberwolves.
Wojnarowski is also reporting that the Sixers "fully expect" to sign Butler to a contract extension this summer.
Sixers and Butler aren't allowed to enter into a negotiation or a agree on an extension yet, but barring physical issues or Butler failing to fit into the Embiid-Simmons dynamic both sides are optimistic on a long-term future. Sixers would be paying a steep price for a rental. https://t.co/eJv11Ynfsc
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 10, 2018
Following the 2018-19 season, Butler will be an unrestricted free agent and Philadelphia had previously expressed interest in adding Butler to make up a big three with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Wojnarowski also added that the Sixers are confident they will get a deal done as long as it's a smooth transition for Butler this season. Butler can sign a five-year max contract worth $190 million, while other teams could offer four years and a projected $141 million.
Shortly after news of the Butler trade broke, Philadelphia's odds to win the NBA title went from 30-1 to 16-1 at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. In addition, the team's odds to win the Eastern Conference were bumped up from 7-1 to 3-1.
Butler is currently averaging 21.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists while knocking down 37.8 percent of his shots from three for the Timberwolves. Butler has scored at least 20 points in eight of the Timberwolves' games so far and has sat out three contests to rest.
