Jimmy Butler, who has been unhappy with his situation in Minnesota, has requested a trade, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic, with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reporting the Knicks, Nets, and Clippers are Butler's preferred destinations.
Wojnarowski reports that "for now" Timberwolves president and head coach Tom Thibodeau has "no interest" in trading Butler. Wojnarowski adds that the Clippers is where Butler is "most determined" to land if a trade is to go down.
Darren Wolfson reported in July that Butler turned down a 4-year, $110 million contract extension with the Timberwolves.
The 29-year-old Butler is set -- for now -- to become a free agent after the 2018-19 season, with the latest twist obviously throwing a wrench in the idea that he'll reach free agency.
Knicks president Steve Mills said earlier this week that the Knicks will not do anything that "jeopardizes the future" of the franchise.
"We're not going to take shortcuts," Mills said, according to The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov. "We're not going to trade our draft picks. Really, we believe New Yorkers will live with a plan and buy into a plan as long as we articulate it. ... We're not going to trade away assets for a guy we can get on our own later."
But will the sudden availability of Butler and his desire to be on the Knicks change Mills' stance?
Earlier this week, Sean Highkin of Bleacher Report tossed out five teams he thought made sense as potential landing spots for Butler -- with the Knicks among them.
Butler was an All-Star last year during his first season with the Timberwolves, when he averaged 22.2 points, 4.9 assists and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 35 percent from three.
He fueled the fire in July by liking an Instagram comment calling for him and Kyrie Irving, who can also become a free agent next season, to join the Knicks. But he also liked an Instagram post earlier in the month week of him in a Spurs jersey.