Timberwolves All-Star Jimmy Butler has been granted permission to skip the team’s media day this coming Monday, sources tell Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Minnesota has also been informed that Butler will not be available for on-court activities at the start of training camp, Krawczynski adds.
This is the latest development in the Butler saga after he requested a trade earlier this week. After meeting with head coach Tom Thibodeau, Butler reportedly requested a trade and granted a list of three teams — the Knicks, Nets and Clippers — to whom he’d prefer to be dealt. The Clippers are reportedly Butler’s top choice.
Reports suggested Thibodeau was against the idea of trading Butler as Minnesota looks to contend for the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. However, word broke yesterday that Timberwolves’ owner Glen Taylor informed owners and GMs at the NBA’s Board of Governors meetings that Butler is available. Taylor also told interested teams to contact him directly to discuss a Butler deal if necessary.
“The owner’s trading him,” a Board of Governors attendee told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “That was made clear. It’s just a matter of when.”
Butler, 29, spent his first six seasons with the Bulls before he was traded to the Timberwolves last summer. The swingman averaged 22.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 4.9 APG as he earned All-Star and All-NBA Third Team honors while helping to snap Minnesota’s 13-year playoff drought last season.
The trade demand reportedly stems from contractual matters as Butler seeks to sign a long-term pact. The three teams on his preferred destinations list all have assets and cap flexibility to acquire and sign him long-term. At this point, as Butler prepares to sit out the start of training camp, the chances that his Timberwolves run lasts only one season appears likely.
Whenever a player demands a trade I always hope they end up in a worse situation.
Highly depends on what motivates him to be traded, how good the player is, the teams situation. It’s not always about money. Though sadly that normally is the cause
While it’s not about the money usually, Butler’s “long term” destinations of the Nets/Clippers/Knicks says otherwise. They have the most cap space next year, and they’re nowhere near contention.
Personally, I’m glad the Bulls made the deal to get rid of him. He started showing these tendencies early on…
So if a player does something to acquire more money, it’s wrong. But when a team does something to save more money, it’s ok???
When a team decides to cut a player that player then has a chance to sign the best deal available. But while under contract the player gets absolutely every single dollar they have commited to pay them, regardless of what team they’re traded to. Now when a player demands a trade IMMEDIATELY so that they can be traded with their bird-rights which gives the next team the ability to pay an them extra $50 mil, the yeah, that’s all about the money. Doing it 1 month before training camp and refusing to do team activities that’s a sucker move. See the difference? Player gets traded or cut he still gets all his money. Demanding a trade last minute puts his team at an extreme disadvantage. If he had of demanded the trade back in July the Wolves could work out a deal that allows them to continue to compete during the upcoming season. Instead, they most likely will get draft picks.
Butler didn’t ask to be traded to the Wolves. I don’t mind him asking to be traded, up to Minn whether they do it or not.
You sound like fun.
Jimmy is one of my favorite players, the intensity he plays with can’t be taught. He’s right for requesting a trade because Towns and Wiggins are a bunch of unmotivated losers. Wiggins wasn’t even defended off the ball last season and he rarely sprinted on the court, Jimmy should get the chance to play somewhere he can play with teammates which aren’t nonchalant.
Butler will never even be half of a quarter of the player that KAT is, Butler is just a marginal star, KAT is a superstar that one day he can very well be MVP. Butler wasn’t in the league at the age that KAT is already one of the top 10 players in the league, so… totally miss your point Dionis.
I’ll take Butler over Towns.
I’ll take Dionis over cesc!
Butler has been on the NBA all-defensive team twice. KAT will never be mentioned in same breath as Anthony Davis or Joel Embiid because he doesn’t play defense.
If DeMarcus Cousins comes back healthy, KAT won’t make the All NBA team!
And for Dionis point, the Timberwolves didn’t make the playoffs for 13 years without Butler, made it last year, and won’t make it again without him. KAT and Wiggins are losers! Thanks Dionis!
Towns all the way.
He was outplayed by Clint Capela in the playoffs
Gotta disagree, man. Butler has had serious issues in every single locker room he has been a part of…..the pre-2016 Bulls locker room, the post-2016 Bulls locker room, and now the Timberwolves locker room.
The only common denominator is him. He’s a primadonna, and an egomaniac. It’s all about Jimmy.
He thinks he’s way better than he is, and he also thinks he’s a leader — which he most definitely is not, as he has shown absolutely non of those leadership skills.
Butler’s attitude also is hurting Minny, if he doesn’t go to the press day & doesn’t train with the team is giving a very strong message that he doesn’t wanna even start the season with Minny, which takes away even more of the little leverage Minny has got now, this guy is just all about me, me, me. Really lost all the respect for him.
He’s not about himself he just wants to win. Towns and Wiggins don’t play winning basketball period.
He wants money and doesn’t care about a championship. He only wants to go to teams that pay him. If he wanted to win he’d say the lakers or something, but the lakers won’t give him max, so he makes up an excuse. Jimmy buckets only cares about jimmys bank.
Maybe he doesn’t want to play under Lebron bruh, you Lebron fans always want all the stars. Lebron has enough on that Lakers roster as is, Jimmy Butler should get traded to Utah and I guarantee you the Jazz win the title with Mitchell and Butler.
If he wanted to win, he wouldn’t have rattled off those cities as to where he wants to land. No one will be winning anything there.
He just wants to be in a huge market and cash in. Nothing wrong with it, but he should be honest about it.
Well right, wrong or in-between it sends the message that KAT & Wiggins are in, Thibs, Jimmy B & the faux bulls side of the locker room is out. ”A house divided against itself must fall” Quote ”The owner is trading him. That was made clear. It’s just a matter of when.” That quote by ownership Under cuts any trade value he may have had even more because now it is apparent they don’t even want to start season with him. At least pretending to want to keep him gave some picture of limited value. The owner killed that. ”A Fish always rots from the head down”, typical of wolves too…
Fire Thibs and layden. Beg Garnet to take over as coach for a year to transition to gm role in route to partial ownership. Trade Butler to Philly for Saric and some others. Dump Teague and all ex bulls for whatever. Season is already dead might as well put it to use to build solid foundations for the future. They have one solid building block in Towns, he is more than most franchise have when they endure a rebuild. Cutting corners has not worked for the wolves, time to do it right.
Garnet! He can’t even keep track of his OWN money.
Saric and some others? How about best offer.
Butler is doing things to make people dislike him so he gets traded. If you suddenly dislike him, he succeeded, and you’re being led on.
Did you like Butler a month ago?– he’s the same guy as then.
Of course @Djones can say he knew this would happen.
Fire thibs? He’s the one who wants to keep Butler! No jimmy no postseason!!
Butler doesn’t want to be kept. That’s the point buddy
I don’t know why but this feels like one of those scenarios where OKC jumps in and shocks everyone. And then Buckets loves playing with Russ and PG13 so he re-signs there.