Timberwolves trade for Jimmy Butler, sending Zach Lavine to Chicago

(KMSP) - Jimmy Butler is headed to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster trade that materialized just minutes into Thursday night's NBA Draft. According to a team release, the Timberwolves traded Zach Lavine, last year's first round pick Kris Dunn, and the No. 7 overall pick in this year's draft to the Chicago Bulls for Butler and Chicago's No. 16 overall pick.

The trade reunites Jimmy Butler with current Timberwolves and former Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau.

The draft picks

The Timberwolves selected Lauri Markkanen with the No. 7 pick, sending Markkanen to Chicago. Markkanen is a seven-foot sharpshooter from Finland who played one season of college basketball at Arizona.

The Bulls selected 6'11 center Justin Patton of Creighton with the No. 16 overall pick, sending him to Minnesota. With Patton, the Timberwolves get a raw, athletic big man known for his ability to finish at the rim and shoot with three-point range. Patton was a late-bloomer, growing from 6'2 to 6'9 between his freshman and sophomore years of high school.

The players

Butler is a three-time All-Star who has played all six of his NBA seasons with the Bulls, who drafted him No. 30 overall out of Marquette in 2011. Butler is known as a hard-nosed, competitive player who can lead a team on both the offensive and defensive ends. Butler averaged 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists last season for Chicago.

Zach Lavine missed the remainder of the 2016-17 season after suffering a torn ACL in February. Lavine was having a breakout season, averaging a career-high 18.9 points last season. He was playing so well he declined an invite to defend his title in the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest to focus on helping the Timberwolves content for a playoff spot.