Timberwolves star Jimmy Butler has been the center of trade rumors for over a month now, but Minnesota has yet to deal him. The Rockets’ latest offer of four first-round draft picks, along with Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss, was apparently not enough. Marc Stein of the New York Times is skeptical that any offer from Houston will be.

Lending his opinion on Butler’s future destination in his latest newsletter, Stein notes that, presumably, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and head coach Tom Thibodeau would rather not send Butler to Houston for fear of creating a superpower.

I’m not hugely surprised that the Wolves resisted Houston’s trade offer last week of four future first-round picks for Butler, along with the contracts of Brandon Knight and Marquess Chriss. The stated reason was that the Rockets’ latest proposal features zero players who can help Minnesota immediately, but the biggest factor was presumably this: Minnesota’s owner, Glen Taylor, and Coach Tom Thibodeau are in strong agreement about not wanting to surrender Butler to the Rockets and set them up with a third elite player alongside James Harden and Chris Paul.

It is unclear whether or not the Timberwolves will give any offer from the Rockets serious consideration. Although, according to ESPN’s Malika Andrews, league sources suggest that any potential offer from Houston must include shooting guard Eric Gordon.

If the Rockets are unable to get a deal done, the 76ers and the Heat remain frontrunners to pique Minnesota’s interest.