Brooklyn Nets: Getting Jimmy Butler will make Nets a bonafide contender

Jimmy Butler has officially requested a trade out of Minnesota, and the Brooklyn Nets are one of the teams he requested to go to. Here is what it might cost the Nets. If they get, him they immediately become contenders.

Jimmy Butler is one of the better players in the league, and for months now it has been rumored that he wanted out of Minnesota to now potentially play for the Brooklyn Nets.

On Wednesday afternoon, it was made official when it was revealed that Jimmy Butler had requested a trade.

With that he named three teams that he would prefer to be traded to. The three teams Butler named were the Brooklyn Nets, the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers.

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Butler naming the Nets and Clippers came to the surprise of many, but why?

The Nets have only eight players on payroll for the 2019-20 season and only three players on payroll beyond that. This being said, the Nets will be able to build around Jimmy Butler if they were able to acquire him.

Not only that, but acquiring Butler would likely make the Nets a contender for the 2018-19 season.

The Eastern Conference took a major hit over the off-season and it is clearly the worse of the two conferences.

This being said, the acquisition of Butler would allow the Nets to contend for a playoff spot in the East.

The addition of Jimmy Butler would help the pieces the Nets currently have in D’Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie.

The addition of Butler would bring out the best in Russell and Dinwiddie who had a fantastic 2017-18 season. The Nets acquired Russell and Timofey Mozgov prior to the 2017-18 season in exchange for Brook Lopez and the draft rights to Kyle Kuzma.

But who could the Nets give up in order to receive an All-Star in Jimmy Butler?

This trade would do wonders for both the Timberwolves and the Nets. The Timberwolves would be getting something in return for Butler who is set to leave Minnesota come the 2019 offseason.

In Kenneth Faried, they get a player who when healthy has the ability to be a dominant force.

The Nets acquired Faried alongside Darrell Arthur and a 2019 protected first round pick and a 2020 second round pick (which they would send to Minnesota in this trade) in exchange for Isaiah Whitehead.

Faried, aka ‘The Manimal’ has struggled to stay healthy the last couple of years which has in turn effected his production.

In 2017-18, Faried put up only 5.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. If Faried manages to stay healthy the T-Wolves would be getting a player who can help them push towards the playoffs, even without Jimmy Butler.

In Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, the Timberwolves would be getting a young player who is owed less than $2.5 million dollars next year in his final year under contract.

This, plus the fact that he averaged 13.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, makes Hollis-Jefferson a valuable trade piece.

For the Nets, they manage to hold onto D’Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie and they get a player in Butler who can mesh the team together.

Not only that, but Jimmy Butler would make Brooklyn a desirable location if he were to re-sign following the 2018-19 season.

Butler would give the Nets the ability to sign other prime free agents such as potentially Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Kemba Walker or Demarcus Cousins.

Next. 3 Goals for D'Angelo Russell this year. dark

Acquiring Jimmy Butler would give the Nets many opportunities over the next couple of years. If they do end up trading for the All-Star, you can expect the trade to look somewhat like the trade above.

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