With Butler in fold, Wolves ready to shop for free agents

News

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau, left, shakes hands with his former player Chicago Bulls' Jimmy Butler after an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, in Chicago. The Timberwolves won 99-94. Photo: Associated Press/(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — Jimmy Butler has a new team with the Timberwolves. He’s had his warm welcome to Minnesota.

Now he has work to do, when free agency begins: Persuade some of his peers around the league to join him.

As Wolves officials introduced Butler at a news conference Thursday at the Mall of America, they touted a belief that this up-and-coming team will be a desired destination on the open market.

The Wolves acquired Butler from Chicago in a draft-night trade . The deal sent point guard Kris Dunn and shooting guard Zach LaVine, their first-round draft picks in 2016 and 2014, to the Bulls. The teams also swapped first-rounders, with Minnesota moving down to No. 16 for center Justin Patton and Chicago taking power forward Lauri Markkanen with the No. 7 spot.

___

AP Basketball Writer Jon Krawczynski contributed to this report.

___

For more AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

Recent Headlines

12 hours ago in Sports

NFL fines Jerry Jones $250,000 for obscene MetLife gesture he says was inadvertent

The NFL said Tuesday it has fined Jerry Jones $250,000 for an obscene gesture toward fans at MetLife Stadium that the Dallas owner said was "inadvertent" and intended for fans of the Cowboys, not the New York Jets.

12 hours ago in Sports

Alex Ovechkin is ready for his 21st season in Washington and his first after turning 40

When Alex Ovechkin was asked what he is most looking forward to on opening night this season, his answer was a subtle reminder that the 40-year-old version of the star forward is different than the player who entered the NHL two decades ago.

19 hours ago in Sports

Mistake-prone Chiefs blame themselves for crushing loss at Jaguars

Patrick Mahomes had an interception returned 99 yards for a touchdown and the Chiefs were flagged 13 times for 109 yards in a 31-28 loss to the Jaguars. Four of those penalties came in the final 1:45. The mounting mistakes proved to be the difference in a back-and-forth game, the fifth one of the NFL's Week 5 decided in the final 30 seconds.

1 day ago in Sports

Yankees would accomplish a rare feat if they come back down 0-2 in best-of-5 series vs. Blue Jays

The Bellinger babies are among the few Yankees fans not stressed about New York's 0-2 deficit to Toronto in their AL Division Series. Caiden is 3 years old and sister Cy is 2.

2 days ago in Sports

Drake Maye leads Patriots to 23-20 win over Bills, leaving NFL without an unbeaten team

Receiver Stefon Diggs is quite comfortable putting on a show in Buffalo. The big difference on Sunday night was doing so for the Bills' division rival New England Patriots.