Timberwolves Trade Jimmy Butler to 76ers for Robert Covington, 2022 Draft Pick And More

Jimmy Butler is finally on his way out of Minnesota after a tumultuous start to the season.

The Timberwolves are sending All-Star Jimmy Butler and Justin Patton to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Jerryd Bayless, Robert Covington, Dario Šarić and a 2022 second-round draft pick.

The deal was first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic. The deal was offically announced by the teams on Monday.

“We have a championship window that’s centered around the continued progression of our talented young core, as well as our ability to add elite players who elevate our program,” Philadelphia GM Elton Brand said in a statement. “In Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, we have two of the NBA’s top 20 players. Now, we’ve added a third top-20 player in Jimmy Butler, who is one of the NBA’s very best on both ends of the floor. This move further strengthens our pursuit of a championship and gives us a formidable combination to take on the league’s top teams. With this trade, we’re also excited to welcome Justin to the organization and look forward to his contributions in the coming months. I want to thank Cov, Dario and Jerryd for all they did for this team. They are friends, former teammates and well respected in our locker room. We’ll miss them, but I’m confident they’ll continue to excel in their careers.”

After one season in Minnesota, Butler wanted out after the team made it clear it would not offer him a max contract extension. He requested a trade in September and has been eagerlyawaiting a deal while the Timberwolves tried to find a trade partner.

Butler and the Sixers "fully expect" to come to terms on a long-term contract this summer, Wojnarowski added. Butler will form a "Big Three" for Philadelphia with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

Last season, Butler averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.0 steals in 59 games. He was named an All-Star for the fourth time in his career, made third team All-NBA and second team All-Defense.

The 29-year-old shooting guard has averaged 21.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists through 10 games with Minnesota this season.

Butler, 29, is currently in his eighth NBA season. He spent his first six years with the Bulls, who drafted him with the No. 30 pick in 2011 out of Marquette. In his previous seven seasons, Butler has only played more than 70 games twice. His rookie season was the lockout-shortened 66-game season when he only played 42 games, but his second season he played all 82. The only other time he played more than 67 games in a season was his last year in Chicago when he played in 76 contests.