The Minnesota Timberwolves look like they are going to have a tough time trading disgruntled swingman Jimmy Butler, and the time might come during the season when they will simply need to give up on attempting it. Fantasy managers really
After all, Butler has made it painfully clear he does not wish to remain a member of the Timberwolves for long, and what bothers me about this situation, as opposed to what occurred last season with unhappy and apparently injured San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, is that Butler seems angrier, willing to go even more rogue.
We might think we have more clarity with Butler, who has missed only three games so far, but he has decided he will sit when he wants to. Butler could soon decide he wants to miss games on a regular basis or perhaps a recurrence of his February knee injury surfaces.
Again, there is nothing wrong with Butler's current statistics, and that is what matters most to fantasy managers, but look at the mess Butler's self-made plight has created for the franchise. The Timberwolves, a playoff entrant a season ago, still have not won a road game, succumbing to the Clippers on Monday on the heels of a 30-point debacle in Portland the night prior.
Franchise pillar Karl-Anthony Towns has struggled at times with Butler on the floor; probably not a coincidence. Butler himself is scoring, loading up on steals and shooting well, so the effort is there, but my gut tells me this situation ends neither with a trade nor with a happy Timberwolves squad that starts to win regularly.
If I had made Butler a second-round fantasy pick, which matches his ADP and was a responsible thing to do at the time, even with trade rumors, I would be looking for a trade. I did not think Butler would act this way, and I doubt the Timberwolves did either. While the immediate concern is about the complete lack of clarity as to when Butler decides to suit up and perhaps his uncertain future, I am someone who always desires to minimize risk. This could get worse, and I want little part of it.
Leonard is somewhat of a blueprint here, and not in a good way. Players and their personal managers dictate situations these days. An injured Leonard managed to play some games last December and January, then simply gave up on doing so, leaving the Spurs little choice but to deal him over the summer. They fared capably in the deal, as DeMar DeRozan is one of the more valuable fantasy options these days, but I cannot see the Timberwolves faring similarly in a trade during the season. They will not be getting the likes of Philadelphia 76ers youngster Ben Simmons in a deal.
Fantasy managers can, however, initiate and complete a formidable fantasy trade before it is too late, I believe. What makes sense? Well, beauty is always in the eye of the trade beholders, and I would first start trade negotiations by requesting a similarly valuable asset, someone worthy of a top-25 choice in drafts who might not have the value they once did, like a Washington Wizards point guard John Wall or Utah Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell. Perhaps a trade partner is not concerned about Butler.
If that fails, then I would look for two-for-one trades, though I nearly always desire the best player in a basketball trade. You want to trade two players for one. With Butler, that degree of leverage simply might not exist, but perhaps the disappointed CJ McCollum manager in your league will part with him plus another top-100 player.
I am an optimistic sort when it comes to fantasy sports, but I fear the current toxic situation with Butler will not improve any time soon, and the volatility will linger and not improve. Perhaps the organization will need to step in and take a stance too. This does happen even with superstars. Butler is a terrific player. So is Leonard. Not all terrific players are happy with their situations.
Fantasy managers have a better chance of securing favorable immediate return, I believe, than the Timberwolves do, and if I had shares of the player, I would have sought offers, well, weeks ago.
Other fantasy hoops thoughts
San Antonio's DeRozan is top-10 in points leagues and has really blossomed in roto formats with the extra rebounds and assists. Few drafted him over Leonard but -- wow! -- I admit to being skeptical a Spurs player could emerge statistically like this.
We know Leonard will miss one game of all back-to-backs this season as a baseline, which lowers his value quite a bit, and he could sit a week or so whenever he wants, especially if the Raptors are winning at this level. Leonard is likely playing elsewhere next season anyway. If redrafting, he would not be a first-round pick for me; DeRozan would be.
Every game matters; I just lost a weekly matchup because Eric Gordon sat a game. DeRozan is playing every night.
I made it clear in the preseason how much I was investing in Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, and we had to love his Monday explosion with 48 points, but I do admit I hoped for more assists on a regular basis. The Nuggets offense runs through center Nikola Jokic. He has the Simmons numbers in rebounds and assists. Murray is showing no signs of averaging even four assists per game. Still, Murray could average 20 points per night, acting like Mitchell from last season. That works too.
Those Toronto Raptors rank fourth in assists per game, thanks mainly to Kyle Lowry averaging a ridiculous 11.5 per, when he averaged 6.9 per game a season ago. The Raptors look great, though I could argue Lowry has just as many finishers as last season, so that assist number has to fall.
I am also interested in backup point Fred VanVleet averaging five assists per game. It makes him worth a look in roto formats if your point guards underwhelm in that statistic, like Murray. Detroit's Ish Smith was a useful bench guard last season.
Speaking of assists, good for Utah Jazz vet Ricky Rubio for returning to the top 10 in that category, at least so far. Rubio dished out nine helpers on Monday. He also missed nine of his 10 field goal attempts. Perhaps nobody in a points league cares, and the uptick in assists makes us forget how he is barely scoring and shooting poorly, but in a roto league, I care. This is such a frustrating player to rely on.
As a follower of Villanova basketball -- I did not attend the school -- I have kept a close eye on the four players they lost to the NBA, none of whom is worth a fantasy look yet. Milwaukee Bucks reserve Donte DiVincenzo seems closest to statistical relevance, as he not only earns the most minutes, but he also provides 3-pointers and makes the effort to rebound, even at 6-foot-5.
If Malcolm Brogdon ever misses games, DiVincenzo seems likely to get a boost. For now, Mikal Bridges, Omari Spellman and Jalen Brunson have been statistically quiet.