GREENBURGH, N.Y. _ While the Jimmy Butler trade talk has picked up steam around the NBA, the Knicks _ one of the three teams initially reported to be on Butler's wish list _ have faded mostly out of the picture with the front office insisting they won't trade picks or assets for a quick fix.
That may split the fan base into the followers of the process and patience and the side that would like to see a two-way standout such as Butler plugged in next to Kristaps Porzingis. But the players are happy to hear it.
"It makes everybody feel a lot better as a team," said Tim Hardaway Jr., the player whose contract and skill set likely would have to be included in any package for Butler. "But at the end of the day if a big name comes off, the front office, they have to take care of that, whatever they want to do. We can't control what they do in the front office. All we can do is control what we do out here on the floor and just go out here and work."
