New York Knicks: The package the Knicks should offer to get Jimmy Butler

Well folks the cat is out of the bag, Jimmy Butler has requested a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves and has named three preferred destinations including the New York Knicks. Could Jimmy Butler be a Knick?

We have been talking about the possibility of Jimmy Butler playing in New York for quite a while now, and it is now more likely than ever.

On Wednesday, the news broke that Jimmy Butler had requested a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and with that he named three preferred destinations.

The three teams Butler named as teams he would like to be traded to were the New York Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers. This made what used to be a dream for Knicks fans a real possibility.

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The only problem with that dream/possibility is figuring out who to give up. Jimmy Butler is a versatile player who can play both Shooting Guard and Small Forward which makes it a bit easier to create a package to offer the T-Wolves.

The preferred position to stick Butler at would be shooting guard for a couple of reasons. With the addition of Kevin Knox, the Knicks have what seems to be a good fit at Small Forward.

If the Knicks were to trade for Butler and place him at shooting guard, this would allow Knox to develop alongside two All-Stars in Jimmy Butler and Kristaps Porzingis.

Not only would placing Butler at shooting guard allow Knox to develop, but it would also bolster the position.

Frank Ntilikina seems to be due for a breakout season in 2018-19 and allowing him to learn behind an All-Star in Jimmy Butler would teach him a lot.

This is great and all, but who could the Knicks give up in order to acquire Butler?

This trade makes sense for a multitude of reasons, and it helps both sides.

What the Timberwolves get out of it:

For the Timberwolves, they get something out of a player who is guaranteed to leave them come the 2019 offseason.

Sure, the T-Wolves get a player in Courtney Lee who is owed a touch above $25 million over the next two years, but they get a short-term replacement for Butler.

Beyond that, they get a player in Damyean Dotson who the Knicks took in the second round of the 2017 draft.

Dotson only played an average of 10.8 minutes per game in 2017-18 for the Knicks so we have not yet seen what he is capable of.

This being said the Timberwolves get a player in Dotson who has potential and could possibly be their shooting guard down the line.

The last player they would get in this proposed trade would be Ron Baker who is a hidden talent in the NBA. Baker is a lost talent who can play both Point Guard and Shooting Guard and could be a versatile backup for the Timberwolves.

Baker was fantastic at Wichita State in college but has yet to hit his stride in the NBA. Given the right opportunity he has the potential to get back to his college self and truly be something in Minnesota.

What the Knicks get out of it:

This trade would be the best case scenario for the Knicks. They get rid of Courtney Lee’s contract which then allows Frank Ntilikina to be the immediate backup for Butler. Not only this but it also allows Kevin Knox to get some more time as well.

This trade is truly perfect for the Knicks and it makes sense in every sense of the word. Not only that but this trade would work because the contracts line up.

Next. The other argument and why the Knicks should not go after Jimmy. dark

If the Knicks and Timberwolves do end up making a trade centered around Jimmy Butler you can expect it to be somewhat similar to the trade above.

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