Milwaukee Bucks: The best way to construct a trade for Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler is unhappy with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Milwaukee Bucks could use another superstar to help push them over the edge.

Jimmy Butler is struggling to get along with the Minnesota Timberwolves front office that includes his former head coach Tom Thibodeau. The two sides appeared locked in a power struggle. Could this be the time for the Milwaukee Bucks to swoop in and make a move for Butler?

The rumors are swirling rampant in Minnesota, as Butler and stud big man Karl-Anthony Towns don’t appear to possess the ability to co-exist in the Twin Cities. Towns reportedly won’t sign a deal with the Timberwolves until the future of Butler is figured out.

That puts Minnesota at an interesting crossroads. Who will they prioritize? A stud big man who is much younger and has a brighter career? Or a veteran who has blown up the franchise internally since he arrived last summer?

In the interview above, Shams Charania has this to say about the current situation:

"There’s been a lot of uncertainty around Jimmy Butler all summer. He hasn’t been back to Minnesota. This is going to be a telltale week for him. Very much so, I’m told, this a last-ditch meeting for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Tom Thibodeau, and how they respond and how Jimmy responds to it will be interesting.Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s one of the top talents in the league, has yet to sign to sign his rookie max extension, which should be a no-brainer. And I’m told there won’t be any decision on that until this Jimmy Butler situation resolves itself."

The meeting he’s referring to is one that Minnesota offered to Butler, hoping to meet him in the Twin Cities to discuss his future. Instead, Butler offered the team to come to his location in Los Angeles, one of his rumored preferred destinations if he declines his player option next summer.

Although it’s highly unlikely Butler goes anywhere, the Bucks should swoop in and offer a deal. Minnesota will be smart to make out with any assets in return, as Butler is likely to leave at the end of the 2018-19 season regardless. He has a player option so there’s the potential he could stay, but who are we kidding?

Before we dive into the semantics of the deal, let’s set the record straight. This would be a straight one-year rental for Milwaukee and they should darn well know this going into any potential deal. Butler has his eyes on brighter lights and Milwaukee wouldn’t have the cap space to retain his services anyways.

Alright, in order to get the deal started, the best way to entice Thibodeau is to offer any former Chicago Bulls who played for him. I’m only half-kidding. Luckily, Milwaukee has someone who fits that bill in Tony Snell.

Now that we have the first requirement met, the salary is the next important factor. Butler is set to make about $18.7 million next season according to Spotrac. Snell is in line for $10.6 million. That gets us just over half the way there.

Matthew Dellavedova might be another player to add into the deal, but the Timberwolves already have a plethora of point guards in Jeff Teague, Derrick Rose and Tyus Jones. They don’t want another one.

That really leaves John Henson as the only other player who could realistically be included in a deal. Henson is set to make about $9.6 million in 2018-19 and would satisfy the salary cap requirements.

Now the question is, would the Timberwolves accept a trade of Snell and Henson in exchange for Butler? The answer is most certainly not. Even though the Bucks have some wiggle room working for them if Minnesota is desperate to offload Butler to the opposing conference and ease some of their internal headaches, this will likely not do the job.

Milwaukee could likely add in a sweetener in the form of a protected first round pick or a young player (Thon Maker, Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson, etc). Their only hope would be that the Timberwolves like one of the young guys enough and are motivated enough to rid themselves of Butler that they accept a low-ball offer. Otherwise, the Bucks would be silly to continue to add more assets in a deal for a player who will be gone after the 2018-19 season. The Bucks should make their move, roll the dice and see how their game plays out.