Following a huge offseason that was anchored by the addition of LeBron James in free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers are still in position to be major factors come next July with a plethora of salary cap space at their disposal.
There will be several marquee players available on the open market that will attract plenty of attention that includes All-Star forward Jimmy Butler. According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, Butler could entertain the scenario of playing alongside LeBron James with the Lakers next offseason.
Outside of Leonard, Cousins and Butler may be the most likely to switch teams. Per a source close to Butler, he’s open to the idea of moving on from the Timberwolves to play alongside James in Los Angeles.
There had not been any previous reports of Butler’s interest in playing with the Lakers since James has joined the mix. However, his situation with the Minnesota Timberwolves has seemingly become more likely that he could depart following the 2018-19 season as he has already declined a four-year, $100 million extension. He is currently in the fourth year of his five-year, $92.3 million deal that has a player option worth $19.8 million for the 2019-20 campaign.
Butler looks to be aiming to hit the free agent market next summer where several teams will be looking to land his services as he has proven to be one of the league’s best two-way players. In his first campaign with the Timberwolves, he helped the franchise snap a 13-year playoff drought while being one of their driving offensive forces averaging 22.2 points on a career-best 47.4 percent shooting from the floor.
This will add yet another potential free-agent target for the Lakers next summer as the team is believed to be eyeing All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard to pair alongside James to help the franchise compete for an NBA title. There should be much more to come on this front this upcoming season.
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