The Minnesota Timberwolves have reportedly agreed to a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers for Jimmy Butler.
The Wolves will trade Butler and Justin Patton in exchange for Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 2nd-round draft pick, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
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
Saric is a 3-point shooting power forward and Bayless will provide depth at point guard, but the main player in the trade is Covington, a 6-foot-9 small forward who was named to the All-NBA Defense First Team last season.
Earlier this season, the Wolves rejected an offer of 4 first-round draft picks from the Houston Rockets.
Butler has been seeking a move since the summer, bringing his tenure at Minnesota to an end after just over a season with the Timberwolves.
Patton came to Minnesota at the same time as Butler, with the Wolves trading for his draft rights as part of the Butler deal with the Chicago Bulls. Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the draft rights to Lauri Markkanen went the other way.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Wolves decided to cut a deal for Butler following the end of a 5-game winless road trip on the West Coast.
After winless 5-game road trip that ended with loss Sacramento on Friday night, Tom Thibodeau had come to realization that the Wolves couldn't win with Butler in this dysfunctional environment, sources said. He told associates that Minny wouldn't play another game with Butler.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 10, 2018
