Utah Jazz fans should pump the breaks on Jimmy Butler daydreams

Jimmy Butler may be on his way out of Minnesota, but his fit with the Utah Jazz would be less than ideal.

Without question, the Utah Jazz have one of the most impressive young cores in the NBA. They may not be Steph and KD, but Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell and Coach Quin Snyder are about as good as it gets for the mere mortals of the Association. That said, the team could be flush with cash over the next two offseasons and will undoubtedly seek to bridge the gap with a big-time acquisition, if there’s one to be made.

To that end, a four-time All-Star and perennial 20-point scorer could soon be available — Minnesota Timberwolves wing Jimmy Butler. Per Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the 29-year-old has requested a trade from the T-Wolves.

In terms of what he brings on the court, it’s not hard to make the case for Butler. He’s a fiery competitor and a versatile player with scoring ability and defensive chops to match. He’ll never be Ray Allen behind the arc, but he’s also knocked down 36 percent of his triples over the last two years, which is at least respectable.

He’s probably the person most responsible for Minnesota’s success last season. The Wolves were nearly 13 points better per 100 possessions when he was on the floor.

However, I would advise Jazz fans to pump the breaks on their Jimmy Butler daydreams. Not only is a deal with Utah’s divisional rival a longshot on multiple levels, but Butler’s fit in the 801 would be suspect at best.

Reports have indicated that the Jazz aren’t on the shortlist of teams Butler would consider signing an extension with. It would seem that the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and LA Clippers are the only squads with a firm chance of keeping him long-term.

And dealing for a player with aims of convincing them to stay put seems like a dicey proposition. OKC was able to pull it off with Paul George, but it feels as though the Toronto Raptors are living on borrowed time with Kawhi Leonard. Also — let’s not forget that the Jazz are a little over a year removed from failing to convince their own, home-grown star to re-sign.

I would also wonder about Butler’s fit from a personality standpoint. In his final season with the Chicago Bulls, he ran afoul of the organization for publicly calling out his teammates. It would seem he’s not jiving with his current running mates, either.

He’s also had multiple run-ins with Jazz point-man Ricky Rubio. Butler forbade the former Timberwolves guard from entering “his” locker room to visit with old friends early last season and  went after him on Twitter in March. Speaking of, Rubio tweeted this as a likely response to the Butler news on Wednesday —

Clearly, there’s no love lost there.

Jazz fans, the time will soon come when the Jazz can explore their options and consider roster upgrades. But now is not that time and Butler is not that guy, talented though he may be.