A few of you pointed out on Twitter that one reason the Wolves shouldn't pursue a trade for Jimmy Butler is that the Wolves are likely years away from true contention just like every other team in the league because Golden State is so good. So why not bet on young players like Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine to grow together instead of shipping one out in a trade.
It makes sense, but there's also this: Towns, Wiggins and LaVine are all due for big paydays soon. If you're going to dole out big money to all three, you're basically locking yourself into that core.
Butler is under contract for two more years at a pretty reasonable price. Assuming the Wolves could sign him to an extension after trading for him, he still would be plenty young by the time the Wolves were ready to challenge — and he could accelerate the timeline for getting into the playoffs and building toward a championship.
Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.
