Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors involve Jimmy Butler, who is no longer appealed by the Lakers because of LeBron James.
Los Angeles Lakers rumors have ramped up once again in recent days. Whenever a big-named player comes onto the market, Lakers rumors are bound to pick up. This time, it was Jimmy Butler.
Butler met with Minnesota Timberwolves head coach, Tom Thibodeau, on Monday in Los Angeles. The meeting did not go as planned for Thibodeau, as the two discussed Butler’s future with the organization and he asked for a trade.
Butler provided a list of three teams that he would like to be traded to, as he would likely accept a contract extension from the team.
The teams on the list would surprise some people. The New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers were named as potential landing spots.
Minnesota's Jimmy Butler has three preferred destinations for a trade, league sources tell ESPN: The Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks. Those three teams have max cap space to sign Butler as a free agent in July.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 19, 2018
None of those teams are currently close to contender status. However, all three have max money spots, and it sounds like Butler is looking to maximize his earnings.
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There are other teams that will have max money, such as the Lakers, but they were not named as one of Butler’s preferred landing spots. The reasoning for that is the presence of LeBron James.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, James being on the roster as the franchise cornerstone made the Lakers less appealing to Butler. Wojnarowski adds that Butler wants to play a central role in a big market. If that is the case, the three teams mentioned makes some sense.
Butler should be given some credit for his mindset. With the growing trend of players joining forces with other players, it is a breath of fresh air to hear a player wants to grow something on his own.
However, it is still weird to hear players say they don’t want to play with James. Kyrie Irving began the trend, asking for a trade away from the Cleveland Cavaliers and landing with the Boston Celtics in part because of James.
If winning is a priority, there aren’t many better players to hitch yourself to than James. Even in the super competitive Western Conference, any team James is on has a chance to compete.