The Houston Rockets apparently aren’t giving up on their pursuit of Jimmy Butler just yet.
The Rockets, who have been tied to Butler ever since the star swingman requested a trade from the Timberwolves, reportedly were turned off by Minnesota’s initial asking price in a potential blockbuster deal. Well, it appears Houston now is singing a different tune and is willing to go all-in to acquire the four-time All-Star.
Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta publicly has stated that his franchise “would love” to bring in Butler but wasn’t going to give up “unreasonable assets” in order to do so. It’s worth noting that Houston’s “renewed bid” is centered around draft picks, as the T-Wolves reportedly were asking for Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker in previous trade talks, while the Rockets evidently wouldn’t consider parting ways with Tucker.
Four first-round picks are the most a team can offer in a trade, per league rules, and Wojnarowski reports the protections on these selections would be “limited.” With team cornerstones Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns still ahead of their primes, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Minnesota take the bait on this deal and build toward the future, especially considering Butler’s current standing with the team.
As for the Rockets, pulling off this trade for Butler effectively would be going for broke in hopes of winning an NBA title this season. Butler will become a free agent at season’s end, so four first-round picks would be quite the expense for what in all likelihood would be a rental player. But considering how close James Harden and Co. came to reaching the Finals last season, Houston seems to be of the belief that Butler could get it over the hump.
