Heat-Wolves Trade Talks Collapse Again

11:28am: The Heat have been willing to include Josh Richardson in potential deals with the Wolves, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, he adds that Minnesota doesn’t appear to be close to a trade involving the All-Star forward.

10:22am: The Heat and Timberwolves were close to a Jimmy Butler trade this weekend, but negotiations have “fractured,” tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Owners from both teams were involved in trade talks and reached an agreement they were prepared to finalize, but the deal fell apart when Minnesota asked for more, sources tell Wojnarowski. The Wolves shared Butler’s medical records with the Heat, including the condition of his right wrist following offseason surgery.

Wojnarowski doesn’t provide any details about what other players or draft picks would have been included in the proposed deal.

The Wolves haven’t gained traction with any other organization since Butler made his trade request last month, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link). Nearly all the teams that originally expressed interest have backed off because of Minnesota’s asking price and a belief around that league that Butler will wind up in Miami.

Coach/executive Tom Thibodeau is reportedly hoping to patch things up with Butler and keep him on the team, but owner Glen Taylor hasn’t changed his orders to the front office to work out a trade, according to Wojnarowski.

Butler hasn’t practiced with the team since training camp opened. Although he hasn’t wavered in his desire to be traded, there are reports that he won’t sit out regular season games if his wrist has recovered enough for him to play.

View Comments (5)