Report: Butler open to joining LeBron on Lakers

With LeBron James in the fold for the foreseeable future, there are rumblings that a second star would be open to playing alongside the King in Los Angeles.

Minnesota Timberwolves wing Jimmy Butler is not ruling out the possibility of joining James, a source close to Butler told Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus.

Butler was acquired by the Timberwolves via trade from the Chicago Bulls last summer. The 28-year-old averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game in his first season with the club, making his fourth consecutive All-Star team in the process.

However, Butler is owed just $18.7 million for the 2018-19 season - a relative pittance given his production in recent years; he can decline a player option for the 2019-20 season to become a free agent next summer if he so chooses. With the Lakers' current cap sheet chock full of one-year veteran deals and easily movable rookie-scale contracts, signing Butler to a maximum contract outright is well within the realm of possibilities for the franchise set on returning to their title-winning ways.