Tom Thibodeau Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wolves Notes: Garnett, Taylor, Thibodeau

October 16th, 2018 at 10:55pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kevin Garnett is not a shy person when it comes to speaking his mind and he offered his thoughts on the Jimmy Butler saga during an appearance on TNT’s pregame show.

“I totally understand [Butler]. I totally get it. And he’s dealing with [owner Glen Taylor], who doesn’t know [expletive] about basketball,” Garnett said (h/t AJ Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today). “He knows how to make money, but he don’t know anything about basketball. I wouldn’t say that he’s the best basketball mind.”

Taylor said he reached an understanding with Butler: the Wolves’ wing will play to his full ability while the team continues to search for a trade offer. “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 said.

Here’s more from Minnesota:

Taylor gave a vote of confidence to Tom Thibodeau, telling Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune that the executive/head coach is not on the hot seat. “No, no, the only thing now is that we are starting to play games and I am asking him to concentrate on coaching,” Taylor said. “GM Scott Layden will help to see if any trades are available.”
Taylor told Hartman (same piece) that he is alright with how Thibodeau handed the whole Butler situation so far. “Well, I’m OK with it,” Taylor said. “Initially, when Butler told [Thibodeau] he wanted to leave, you know Tom did everything he could to try to keep Jimmy here and I understand that. They have a close relationship. Thibs brought him here so that he would stay here. But eventually I think that in listening to Jimmy, Thibs and I are lined up on this. We need to be looking at a trade.”
Taylor has owned the Timberwolves since 1994 and the messy situation with Butler has not made him think about selling the team, Hartman relays. “No, no, we will get through this,” he said. “The changes we have to make, we will get through this. I’ll just keep working and doing the best I can on it to keep our team very competitive.”

Latest On Jimmy Butler

October 10th, 2018 at 7:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jimmy Butler gave a first-hand account of his return to Timberwolves practice and offered his perspective on the standoff with team management in an interview with Rachel Nichols of ESPN’s “The Jump.” (Twitter link)

Butler describes an exchange with Karl-Anthony Towns during today’s drills. Towns allegedly quipped, “Anybody can get this work,” when they were matched up, and Butler responded with the challenge, “Do it to me” and “Every time I get switched out onto you, you pass it.”

Later in the interview, in an exchange tweeted by Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune, Nichols asked Butler if his presence at practice is a sign that the situation is improving. “I think people think that,” he responded. “I would think that, too. It’s not. It’s not fixed.” He suggested it “could be” fixable, but added, “Do I think so? No. You’ve got to be honest.”

Butler also defended his actions at today’s session, saying, “A lot of it is true. But you got to think I haven’t played basketball in so long and I’m so passionate. I love the game… All my emotion came out at once. Was it the right way to do it? No, but I can’t control it when I’m out there competing.” (Twitter link).

There’s more news to pass along on the Butler situation:

Butler sent a message to teammates and the front office by joining forces with third-string players and defeating the starters in today’s scrimmage, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Woj adds that some of the Wolves were “energized” by Butler’s performance and that he followed it by marching out of the gym as though he was doing a “mic drop.”
Butler spent much of the practice on a profanity-laced tirade, mostly aimed at Towns, Andrew Wiggins, coach/executive Tom Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Butler taunted Towns and Wiggins by yelling, “They soft” as he faced them in the scrimmage. Neither player confronted him for his actions. Haynes adds that Butler has warned team officials in the past that he might find ways to express his displeasure if his trade request isn’t met.
The organization has reacted poorly ever since Butler made his trade demand three weeks ago, argues Britt Robson of The Athletic in a roundtable discussion. Robson contends the best response would have been to trade Butler quickly and start rebuilding the team around Towns and Wiggins. Instead, Thibodeau and Layden publicly expressed a desire to work things out with Butler and dragged their feet on numerous trade offers. Robson also blasts Towns and Wiggins for not playing with more desire in an effort to prove that Butler is wrong about them.

Latest On Jimmy Butler

October 9th, 2018 at 9:13pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Timberwolves appear as if they are preparing to start the season with Jimmy Butler on the roster despite the fact that the four-time All-Star has reiterated his desire to be traded. Butler maintains his stance even after the organization made numerous attempts to convince him to stay.

Heavy negotiations between the Heat and Wolves broke down yet again this week with Miami’s latest offer not satisfying Minnesota’s front office. The Heat’s proposal was a package headlined by Josh Richardson and a protected first-round pick, as Marc Stein of The New York Times reports in his weekly newsletter. Stein doesn’t provide full details on that offer, but based on Miami’s reported interest in moving Dion Waiters, it wouldn’t be surprising if he was also included for salary-matching purposes.

Here’s more on Butler and the Wolves:

Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden have been known as one of the most difficult front offices to negotiate with over the past two years, agents and executives within the league tell Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. That has continued to be the case with teams attempting to nab Butler. Rivals have been willing to undergo “unconventional” negotiations because of Butler’s talent, Krawczynski explains, adding that if Butler weren’t a franchise talent, rival organizations would simply hang up the phone and not deal with the Thibs/Layden duo.
According to Krawczynski, the Timberwolves are still talking with teams about a potential deal and talks with Miami are expected to resume this week.
Should Minnesota hold onto Butler through opening night, he is unlikely to sit out and forfeit game checks. Butler was in Los Angeles when the Wolves faced the Clippers last week and he dined with several current teammates. While some players have said Butler would be welcomed back on the team, Krawczynski notes that it would no doubt add to the club’s chemistry issues.
Thibodeau would welcome Butler back unconditionally should he warm up to the idea of playing out the season in Minnesota even though he could leave for nothing next summer, Stein reports in the aforementioned newsletter. Thibs also isn’t concerned about how uncomfortable the situation might get between Butler and the team’s young stars (Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins). Butler’s “chilly” relationships with Towns and Wiggins are said to be high on the list of reasons why Butler wants out, per Stein.
The Heat, Clippers, Sixers, Nets have all reportedly had negotiations with the Timberwolves for Butler. Stein contends that Miami’s package headlined by Richardson and a protected first-rounder is likely the best-case scenario for Minnesota, given the circumstances. Stein believes that deal allows the Wolves to recoup a good portion of the value they gave up (Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, and the draft pick that became Lauri Markkanen) to bring aboard Butler in the first place.

Wolves Notes: Butler, Thibodeau, Wiggins

September 30th, 2018 at 4:21pm CST by JD Shaw

The Timberwolves have yet to move All-Star shooting guard Jimmy Butler in a trade, keeping a distraction on their roster one game into the preseason and almost a week after the team’s media day. Butler requested a trade in early September after spending just one season with the team, with head coach Tom Thibodeau now focused on making sure his players don’t get distracted.

“That’s the NBA. That’s part of everyone’s job,” Thibodeau said, according to Chris Hine of the Star Tribune. “Don’t allow yourself to be distracted. You have to be focused on what your job is. My job is to do what’s best for the Timberwolves and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Minnesota’s asking price for Butler is said to be steep, with the team reportedly seeking quality veterans, future assets and cap relief. The idea of losing Butler, a longtime teammate of Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson, and other members of the Timberwolves, could make for a period of adjustment in the coming weeks.

“That’s part of being a pro,” Thibodeau said. “So in this league there could be distractions every day if you allow it, so it’s important to understand how to approach your job and I think we have a good mix of veterans who have been through it and they understand how important training camp is and getting ready for the season.”

There’s more from the Timberwolves:

Butler’s trade request comes at a time when the team still has unfinished work, Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes.
The Timberwolves will need more production from Andrew Wiggins this season in order to be successful, Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune details.
Thibodeau will attempt to move forward after a forgettable offseason, writes ESPN’s Nick Friedell. “He’s been doing a good job of maintaining and doing the right things for the guys that are here,” Gibson said of the Wolves’ head coach and president of basketball operations.

Jimmy Butler Rumors: Taylor, Thibodeau, Mavs

September 25th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier today, there has been some confusion among potential Jimmy Butler suitors who have spoken to the Timberwolves, since it’s not clear if Minnesota’s ownership and management groups are on the same page when it comes to a Butler trade. Over at The Athletic, Jon Krawczynski’s latest report on the Butler situation touches many of the same bases that Wojnarowski’s did, with a few new details included.

After Tom Thibodeau met with Butler in the hopes of convincing him to report to the Timberwolves, Butler sought out owner Glen Taylor to receive assurances that the club was actually making “good faith efforts” to trade him, sources tell Krawczynski.

According to Krawczynski’s report, Butler’s camp has conveyed his dissatisfaction with the situation in Minnesota throughout the offseason — his representatives talked to Thibodeau in July about the 29-year-old’s unwillingness to re-sign long-term with the franchise, and Butler conveyed that same message to the head coach in August when Thibodeau visited him in California. However, there’s no indication that Butler requested a trade until last week.

Here are a few more of the latest items on Butler:

Asked again today about Butler, Thibodeau sounded more open than ever to the idea of moving on from his All-NBA swingman. “We’re going to honor his request,” Thibodeau said, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (video link). “But we’re not going to do a bad deal. … We’re trying to make the best deal for the Timberwolves. … That’s what my job is. That’s what [GM] Scott [Layden]‘s job is. Obviously, a move of this magnitude, Glen’s involved in it too.”
Despite Thibodeau saying the right things about Butler publicly, Chris Hine of The Star Tribune hears from a source that the Timberwolves‘ head coach and president of basketball operations remains reluctant to make a deal.
It’s probably safe to cross the Mavericks off the list of possible suitors for Butler, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News, who hears from a high-ranking Mavs official that “he’s not coming here.”
Thibodeau took a risk on Butler and got burned, writes Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune, noting that the “clock is ticking” on Thibs to prove that he can make Plan B work for the Timberwolves.

Thibodeau Tries To Convince Butler To Report

September 24th, 2018 at 10:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Timberwolves coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau met with Jimmy Butler on Monday, attempting to coax the disenchanted swingman to rejoin the team during the preseason, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

It’s another hint that Thibodeau hopes to patch things up with Butler and keep his core group intact rather than trade him. Butler did not report to training camp as he awaits a trade.

Thibodeau indicated during the team’s media day on Monday that he’s willing to deal Butler, who can become a free agent next summer, but he’s not going to give away an All-Star talent.

“We’re not going to make a bad deal,” Thibodeau said. “If it’s a good deal, we’re interested.”

Teams have been lining up with offers for Butler and the process was accelerated when news broke that owner Glen Taylor wants to move Butler as soon as possible.

Jimmy Butler Rumors: Thibs, Kings, Nets, Pistons

September 24th, 2018 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Although Jimmy Butler didn’t participate in the Timberwolves‘ Media Day on Monday, he was in Minnesota and took his physical, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. As Reynolds relays, head coach Tom Thibodeau – who said that Butler could be about a week from being ready to play – also sounded like a man who was open to the idea of dealing his All-Star wing.

“We’re not going to make a bad deal,” Thibodeau said. “If it’s a good deal, we’re interested.”

According to Thibodeau, last week’s trade request from Butler was the first time the 29-year-old had taken such a stance, forcing the situation to come to “a head” (Twitter link via Chris Hine of The Star Tribune). Thibodeau also acknowledged that there was risk involved in acquiring Butler last year, but said he thought the Timberwolves would have a good chance to lock him up long-term. “It didn’t work out,” Thibodeau said today (Twitter link via Jerry Zgoda).

After making it clear that the Wolves will consider potential trades with teams besides the ones on Butler’s wish list, Thibodeau added that if Minnesota can’t make a deal in the next week and Butler is done with his conditioning and rehab work, the All-NBA swingman will be expected to rejoin the team (Twitter links via Michael Rand and Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune).

Here’s more on Butler:

Thibodeau said today that he isn’t worried about his own authority – or job – as a result of the Butler situation. “Not at all. I never worry about that,” Thibodeau said (Twitter link via Michael Rand). “[The] important thing is to understand … what your job is. Your job is to acquire best talent to help your team win.”
Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link) believes a trade will happen “sooner rather than later,” though probably not today.
League sources maintain to David Aldridge of NBA.com that the Timberwolves will hold out for at least one first-round pick as part of a Butler trade, and will also want some “young vets” who can grow with the club’s remaining core.
The Kings are on the list of teams interested in discussing a possible Butler trade with the Timberwolves, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
As of late Sunday night, the Nets weren’t negotiating with the Timberwolves on a Butler deal, according to Newsday’s Greg Logan, who believes Brooklyn isn’t eager to sacrifice a ton of assets for the Timberwolves wing (Twitter links).
Don’t count on the Pistons swinging a blockbuster trade for Butler, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News.

Wolves Owner Wants Jimmy Butler Deal Done Soon

September 23rd, 2018 at 9:23am CST by Arthur Hill

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has taken control of the Jimmy Butler trade talks and wants to get a deal completed as soon as possible, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Tom Thibodeau, who serves as president of basketball operations as well as coach, had been objecting to a deal, hoping to hold onto the veteran forward for another season. However, Taylor wants the process to end before training camp starts Tuesday and has mandated that a deal get done quickly.

Wojnarowski cautions that no team has entered serious discussion with the Wolves yet, but he identifies the Nets, Pistons, Rockets, Clippers, Heat, Sixers and Trail Blazers as franchises that have shown interest.

Taylor plans to review the offers over the next two days, then present the best ones to Butler and his agent, Bernie Lee, to see which teams Butler would be willing to sign a five-year extension with. That information will be used to help finalize a deal, although Wojnarowski adds that some teams would be willing to trade for Butler with no guarantee of an extension .

GM Scott Layden may have jeopardized his job by refusing to talk to other teams about a Butler deal, according to Wojnarowski. Taylor has demanded that Layden start aggressively pursuing a trade, even to the point of contacting rival GMs. Taylor has been considering changes in the front office for months and may re-evaluate Layden’s role once the Butler deal is done.

Tom Thibodeau Not Interested In Rebuilding

September 20th, 2018 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite the fact that Jimmy Butler seeking a trade out of Minnesota, head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau is reportedly averse to the idea of dealing his star swingman, preferring to keep Butler around and push for the playoffs again in 2018/19. As Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reports, citing multiple league sources, Thibodeau is even less inclined to move Butler in exchange for “young, rebuilding-type pieces.”

According to Deveney, Thibodeau initially made the move from Chicago to Minnesota because he thought that the Timberwolves were on the path to contention, and last summer’s acquisition of Butler was meant to accelerate that process. Dealing Butler for a package of young players and/or picks would mean taking a step back, and Thibodeau has “zero interest” in that scenario, Deveney notes.

“No one expects Tom to coach a 25-win or even 35-win team,” one front-office executive told Deveney. “Even if he has to agree to dissolve the contract, they’d do that before they go and trade Butler for draft picks.”

While it may be an exaggeration to suggest that Thibodeau would quit before he trades Butler for draft picks, it will be interesting to see whether he and owner Glen Taylor are on the same page when it comes to the All-NBA wing. While Taylor was certainly pleased that the Wolves’ playoff drought ended this past spring, he – like Thibodeau – likely wants to see a deeper postseason run next time around.

The middle ground between keeping Butler and moving him for a package of young players and picks would be to take the route the Spurs did with Kawhi Leonard, attempting to secure a return highlighted by win-now pieces. Of the three teams on Butler’s wish list, the Clippers may be best equipped to offer such a package, but Minnesota figures to expand its list of possible trade partners beyond just the Clippers, Knicks, and Nets.

As Deveney outlines, Minnesota plans to make Butler available to “any team.” The Heat have been cited as one club that could be in the mix, and rival executives believe the Suns and Nuggets will be among the others with interest, according to Deveney. As we’ve seen with Leonard and Paul George, high-profile trade candidates don’t always end up where we expect, so it’s worth keeping an eye on those other teams like Phoenix and Denver.

Latest On Jimmy Butler

September 19th, 2018 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

With training camps around the corner, the NBA rumor mill has sprung back into action today, as word broke that four-time All-Star Jimmy Butler is seeking a trade out of Minnesota. Butler even has a few specific destinations in mind, having reportedly told the Timberwolves that he’d have interest in being dealt to the Nets, Knicks, or Clippers.

In his full report on the Butler situation, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski provides several more tidbits on the All-NBA wing, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights…

Butler’s list of preferred landing spots could expand based upon the willingness of the Timberwolves and rival teams to negotiate a deal, league sources tell Wojnarowski.
For now, Tom Thibodeau and the Timberwolves have little interest in dealing Butler, preferring to keep him and attempt to make a deeper playoff run in 2018/19, says Wojnarowski. Thibodeau’s “tenuous” status with team owner Glen Taylor may play a part in that stance, according to Woj, who notes that it would be tough for Minnesota not to take a step backward in the short term by trading Butler.
Butler is into the idea of playing a central role for a big-market club, per Wojnarowski. The Lakers are a less appealing option now that LeBron James is on the roster, since Butler would be playing second fiddle there.
The Clippers, Nets, and Knicks have varying levels of interest in Butler, each “prioritizing him in different ways,” writes Wojnarowski. All three teams will have substantial cap room next summer, so acquiring Butler (who will have a $30MM+ cap hold) could hinder their ability to pursue other stars.
According to Wojnarowski, the Heat are another team with interest in Butler. Going after him in free agency likely won’t be an option for Miami, since the club doesn’t project to have cap space in 2019.
While initial reports suggested that there were teams with whom Butler would be willing to sign an extension, Wojnarowski clarifies that the former Bull wants to be sent to a team that would plan on re-signing him to a five-year max contract as a free agent in 2019. Such a deal is currently projected to be worth nearly $190MM — it remains to be seen if any team would make such a huge investment in a player who will be 30 years old when he reaches free agency.