Despite Jimmy Butler having requested a trade out of Minnesota, the Timberwolves continue to show no desire to trade their All-NBA wing. As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports, rival executives who have called the Wolves’ front office to inquire on Butler are being told that Minnesota views him as an elite player and plans to keep him.
Since word of Butler’s trade request broke, reports have repeatedly suggested that head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau has shown little to no interest in moving his star swingman. While it’s possible that the Timberwolves’ stance is a negotiating tactic to regain some leverage, Wojnarowski observes that Minnesota hasn’t even shown interest in hearing what prospective trade partners would hypothetically offer for Butler.
Butler reportedly prefers to be dealt to the Clippers, Knicks, or Nets, with Wojnarowski suggesting that the four-time All-Star has prioritized the Clips and Knicks over Brooklyn. Still, there are number of teams around the NBA with interest, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who tweets that not all of those clubs would need assurances that the 29-year-old would sign long-term. Still, they won’t get a chance to put an offer on the table for Butler at all as long as Thibodeau and the Wolves insist they’re hanging onto him.
If the Timberwolves are serious about keeping Butler, it will be fascinating to see how it affects their extension talks with Karl-Anthony Towns. As Dan Feldman of NBC Sports relays, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN said on a podcast this week that Towns wants the Wolves to “figure out” the Butler situation before committing to a huge new deal.
“I’m led to believe that a big reason why he hasn’t signed it is that he – through his agent, Leon Rose – went to the Wolves and said, ‘Hey, I can’t coexist with Jimmy. Do something about it,'” Wolfson said. “So, figure out the Jimmy situation. On top of that – whether it’s right or wrong – this is the way he feels, that it’s been Jimmy and Thibs ganging up on him.”
While Thibodeau is adamantly opposed to trading Butler, team owner Glen Taylor intends to be involved in the decision-making process along with Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden, league sources tell Wojnarowski. It remains to be seen if Taylor will have a different view on how to handle Butler’s trade request.
Guess Jimmy will have to be in the team photoshoot next week. Gotta admit, being on the All NBA team, being an All Star, 30 years old, the team leader, and making less money than Andrew Wiggins is kinda an insult!
Jimmy Butler is over rated water trash. Wiggins would be playing a lot better if Butler and his whiney attitude were gone.
Based on what? Wiggins is trash…all hype with no results, except a ROY, but lots of bad players win those. Butler, meanwhile, is an all nba caliber player…fact based on his selection to 2 all nba teams, 4 all star teams and 4 all defensive teams. But yea, he is water trash, whatever that means. Lol
Obviously you don’t watch the T-Dogs, Wiggins is stifled by Butlers game, it’s a bad mix, but to say Jimmy is “Over rated water trash”? He’s a competitor and if Wiggins was so unhappy, why sign the extension? KAT at least is smart enough (or good advice) not to put himself if a situation where he is marginalized. Wiggins needs to be the one to go to Thibs and ask “How do we fix this”
Wiggins got plenty of minutes, and took more shots than JB, and Kat, he just isn’t that good. Low percentage volume shooter. I want him to be better as a Canadian but the guy seems to have no drive.
JB on the other hand works hard on both ends and makes teams better. Can’t speak to the locker room though.
Is 45% career FG% really qualify him as a “volume shooter”? It’s true to say that his outside shot needs a lot of work (career 33%) but I wouldn’t say he’s a volume shooter. In 2015-16 and 2016-2017 he was pretty efficient at 45% while scoring better than 20 pts each year.
Below league average true shooting percentage, doesn’t get free throws (or shoot them well). Fg % alone doesn’t mean much. He takes a boat load of shots and plenty are contested midrange trash shots. That hurts a team and that is what a volume shooter is. This guy’s should focus on using his athleticism or improve his 3 point shot. Or you know use a bit of that athleticism on the defensive end.
Plenty of guys had decent Fg percentages but they hurt their teams with thier poor offensive efficiency. old Rudy gay is what wiggins has been to this point.
Dude FG% is absolutely a valid stat. It shows how how often your shot goes in, whether it’s from 1 ft or 20 ft. A volume shooter is one who needs to take 20-25 shots to score 30 pts vs another player that can score 30pts but only taking 15 shots. Not sure if that can even be disputed. While TSP might combine all aspects of shooting, it doesn’t take away from the individual break down. Yes, he needs to improve his 3pt shooting. Yes, he needs to work on his FT. But it doesn’t mean that he can not, at a relatively high level, put the ball in the basket. Period.
Totally agree with you, really making very good points, unlike most fans they just lazily follow the narrative of the media. Season prior Wiggins was a 24PPG player, no easy thing been the #2 player in the team, KAT was 25PPG. So the guy can ball no doubt. About D, yes not his forte but he is the star & is not his job to defend like a hound, just been average or just below is good enough, you don’t pay a guy 30MM/year to defend, anyone can, you pay that much for someone to score hoops, that is the important thing scoring, & Wiggins is good at that. I would choose Wiggins over Butler any day, at 23 Butler wasn’t even starting, Wiggins has had 4 seasons averaging almost 20PPG, way ahead of Buckets.
I still dont believe any animosity between Butler and KAT. If anything, I think both probably have a problem with Wiggins though. If not, then something is more wrong than it even seems there. Wiggins takes the most shots and has still complained about his role. KAT needs more touches, but that has nothing to do with Butler. If anything, they badly need Butler’s defense. If KAT has a problem with Butler, and not with Wiggins, then KAT isnt the player I think he is
Respectfully I ask, where have you read a quote saying that Wiggins or Kat had a problem with anybody? Where did you read that Wiggins was complaining about not taking more shots? I’ll wait….
What I have read is the narrative reporters create. And I’m not saying there might not be SOME truth to it but I would suggest that happens on every team where you have multiple alpha males who feel like they are the best player in the NBA. The question is, do they allow it to effect their performance.
Anyone who claims Wiggins regressed last year probably can’t understand that when you have two very young players who are still finding themselves and then add in a Butler, a Teague, a Crawford then maybe players need more than 1 season to mesh, adjust and find a way to play their style within the confines of team play.
link to google.ca
A quick Google will show there was a lot of press about wiggins crying about being the third option. Despite still taking the most shots on the team.
You always hear about “sources say”. There might be a little smoke but I don’t see evidence of a huge fire. One could say that Butler, who didn’t get along with other in his last year in Chicago, who weeks before the opening of training camp demands a trade to 2 of the biggest media markets in NY and LA and is demanding to be traded RIGHT NOW so that his bird-rights are traded with him which allows the new team to offer him 1 year and $50 mil more than what he could get if he was a FA is the selfish one.
Wiggins has flaws and maybe at 23 he is a bit immature but he was an all-star last year and I’m sorry, Butler isn’t the team first player people are giving him the credit of being. I don’t see him as a mentor and I wouldn’t be shocked if he gave the cold shoulder towards Wiggins instead of trying to work with to make the team the best it could be.
Motion tracking cameras recorded Wiggins running fast less than 5% of his time on the floor. He is lazy and doesn’t do anything but jack up a lot of low percentage shots. It’s not a chemistry issue it’s a work ethic and effort issues that are holding Wiggins back.
The Timberwolves brought in Butler because they weren’t making the playoffs without him
There is talk in inside NBA circles that Jimmy has been hooking up with KAT’s girlfriend, and that’s what has caused a rift.
Saw that. It had #fakenews with it.
That would explain a few things! But…
I think Butler wanted a bigger city though, as his shortlist indicates, and to some extent may be continuing to be difficult in order to force a trade.
Of course one sure-fire way to get tossed is to seduce the biggest star’s GF.
If they are rebuffing offers similar to what spurs and pacers got for their rental star wings they are silly
If they are getting offered garbage players and or contracts like allen crabbe,tyler Johnson, danilo gallinari or Mason plumee and crappy heavily protected picks then they are better off taking their chances at least for a while those crappy offers will always be there but sometimes gettin something is worse then nothing in the NBA
Just talk it out with Jimmy, pay the man what he wants and chase a championship this coming season. It’s like a marriage, you can’t just get up and quit there will always be problems and clearing the air fix things.
They should trade Butler simply because he’s proving what we knew in Chicago. For whatever reason, he doesn’t get along with certain teammates. Instead of being a leader and going out of his way to build chemistry and mentor the young guys he would prefer to be traded this year to teams that suck where he would be the #1 star (aside from an injured Porzingas) and his bird-rights would travel with him so he can get that extra $50 mil. Sorry, Butler seems to be the one with a negative, “me first” attitude. Blame the near 30 year old and not the Wiggins or Kat who’ve never had a NBA star big bro to learn from.
I heard the Timberbulls have been offered a chauffeur, maid and cook for their Butler.
Not funny, Dad.
Almost funny, Dad…
Butler is a great 2 way player, but the teammate issues are real. This is the first I’ve heard about KAT in particular. When you’re talking about a guy who’s looking for a 2nd max deal at this stage in his career, those issues have to be considered. Not just by the Wolves, but by any team looking to acquire him.
They were 3rd in the West before Butler got hurt. The best course of action for all sides (him, team and KAT) may be for Butler to play out the year, and if positions don’t change, he can go elsewhere next year. KL’s case was different. His issues were with the organization and went beyond economics. Time for KAT to grow up, Thibs to adjust to his players, and Butler to realize that being a good teammate is often more important than being right.