Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said he has reached an understanding with Jimmy Butler, telling the four-time All-Star that the franchise will continue to try and trade him, Sid Hartman of the StarTribune, passes along. According to Taylor, Butler has agreed to play to his full ability while the team finds a suitor. The agreement was first reported over the weekend, though Taylor had not spoken publicly since the report.
“The latest is he is going to be going to practice every day, which he has been, and plans to play in games,” said Taylor tells Hartman. “He will be a regular team player. What I said to him in the meantime is our GM, Scott Layden, will be talking to other teams to see if there is a trade that works.”
Taylor added that there is no question Butler will give 100 percent on the court. “[Butler] said that is the only way he knows how to do it,” Taylor said.
The owner added that as far as he can tell, there’s no chance Butler remains on the team past this season. “That is not part of the plan, but as you know, things can change,” Taylor said. “But that is not what we have agreed to.”
“…I think [Butler has] made it very clear that he would not re-sign with us at the end of the year and therefore it is in our interest to get a trade so that we can get a player or two to replace him that helps our team.”
Taylor hinted that economics are playing a role in the situation. “We would have to make some changes on our team in order to keep Jimmy,” Taylor said. Minnesota has already given huge deals to Karl-Anthony Towns (five years, up to $190MM) and Andrew Wiggins (five years, $147MM). Butler could command a five-year deal worth $190MM from the Timberwolves should he re-sign with the team in 2019, and reportedly wanted the club to renegotiate his contract this past summer.
This is a sick joke. Our owner is an idiot.
Taylor has no choice but to handle this way. Taylor and Thib’s didn’t ask for this. Butler has backed the Wolves into a corner because he’s a selfish ego maniac. There are the right and wrong ways to request or demand a trade and Butler has this with absolutely no class. Once they get decent value for the Bum they will be better off.
If Jimmy says nothing and just plays until the end of the year, Minnesota gets nothing in free agency. These stars might be a pain asking for trades, but San Antonio has DeRozan, Poetl, and a 1st pick. Cleveland has Colin Sexton, Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood, and George Hill. The Pacers have Victor Oladipo and Domantis Sabonis. If Anthony Davis declines his extension, New Orleans will get a nice return. You either take what you can get when they say they don’t want to play for you any more, or you can get the shaft in free agency.
Wow I can’t believe you made sense. Can you just do that all the time?
Taylor has/had choices and chose chaos. They could never have afforded Butler. Trade him and get something, without expecting plural starters, plural picks, AND plural promising youth. Try some sense of realism and don’t be bulldozed by the coach with his own agenda.
Miami offered Josh Richardson, Dion Waiters, and a 1st round pick for Butler. San Antonio got an all star, a young player, and a pick for Kawhi. The Pacers got a starter and a possible starter. The Cavs got an all star (at the time), a starter, and a pick from Boston for Kyrie. Chicago got 2 starters and a pick from Minnesota for Butler. That’s your asking price for all stars.
He’s giving Minnesota plenty of warning and giving them an opportunity to minimize their losses. That’s the best-case scenario they could ask for, really. Anything else is just narrative. Ask OKC and Cleveland how well things work out when a player just leaves instead of demanding a trade.
Glen Taylor is such an idiot man. Is it that hard to find a trade? This is like keeping your wife hostage when she wants to dump you and get a divorce but you want her to wait until you find another woman.
So basically, Timberwolves’ owner has an understanding Butler will leave via FA, unless traded.
The guy seems more concerned with showing he’s in charge and has things under control, than the team. It’s one thing for the team to have this kind of understanding with a player, knowing, in addition, that they can’t rationally sign him at the end of the year. It’s quite another to announce it publicly. By the owner, no less. After his statement some weeks ago about the team being committed to trading Butler (over the objection of his GM/coach), he had another chance to keep his mouth shut. But that apparently wasn’t an option.
I wouldn’t trade for him. This is the second team now where the chemistry has been destroyed by his behavior. I 100% believe he messed around with KAT’s girl on purpose, and that’s the real reason why there’s dysfunction on the team. No question about who he is as a player, but as a human being….