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Jimmy Butler Traded to Timberwolves in Blockbuster Trade: NBA

The Chicago Bulls made a massive move on Thursday night, trading star forward Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster deal.

The Bulls will receive the 7th overall pick in Thursday's NBA Draft, Zach LaVine, and Kris Dunn from the Timberwolves in exchange for Butler and the 16th overall pick in the draft. 

Butler was the subject of trade rumors throughout the run-up to the draft, but he had reportedly kiboshed any deal that would send him to the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

The move likely signals the beginning of a significant rebuild in Chicago, and could be just the first domino to fall in a longer process. 

With the seventh pick in the draft, the Timberwolves took Lauri Markkanen, a 7-foot-tall shooting forward out of Arizona. That pick will go to the Bulls, and the 16th overall pick, Justin Patton out of Creighton, will go to the Timberwolves. 

Markkanen made nearly two three-pointers per game in his lone season with the Wildcats, and he averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game during the campaign. He also made nearly 50 percent of his field goals during the year. 

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