Rockets owner 'would love' Butler, but unwilling to give up required assets

Tilman Fertitta has been extremely blunt when it comes to his team's pursuit of Jimmy Butler. The Houston Rockets owner says he "would love" to add the discontent All-Star to his squad, though the Minnesota Timberwolves' asking price has evidently ended the conversation.

“We would love to see Jimmy come home to Houston. It’s not a financial decision, it’s an assets decision on our part," Fertitta told SB Nation's Steven Godfrey. "We’ve got a great basketball team. We think we’re as good as anybody in the league. We’re not going to give up unreasonable assets, to break up this team, to get Jimmy Butler. But we would love to have him.”

The Timberwolves' asking price has been a major and constant obstacle. This past weekend, a prospective deal with the Miami Heat reportedly fell apart at the proverbial one-yard line after the Timberwolves attempted to increase its return with a last-minute demand.

The Rockets are coming off the winningest season in franchise history, leading the league with 65 wins while taking the Golden State Warriors to Game 7 of the Western Conference finals.

While Butler has reportedly made his desire to be traded away from the Timberwolves well known, Fertitta's remarks could spark some blow-back from the league office. The NBA penalized the Los Angeles Lakers in the past year for breaking the league's anti-tampering rules. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka drew a $500,000 fine for making contact with then-Indiana Pacers star Paul George, and team president Magic Johnson drew an additional $50,000 fine for making flattering comments about Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.