NBA Rumors: Jimmy Butler Trade Request Actually Prompted By Relationship With Karl-Anthony Towns’ Girlfriend

Minnesota Timberwolves’ Jimmy Butler has been adamant that he needs to be traded, and while the supplied reasons for his request have varied, another potential reason has just come to the surface. According to new information, Butler wasn’t really fed up with the way the younger members of the T-Wolves were playing, and it wasn’t that he arrived in Minnesota and suddenly had too much on his mind to play. The latest dish is that he started a relationship with teammate Karl-Anthony Towns’ girlfriend, Kawahine Andrade, as reported by Total Sports.

While none of the three members of this allegedly twisted love triangle will go on the record to confirm this is the actual genesis of Butler’s trade request, a strong circumstantial body of work has been created detailing the timeframe this could have happened. It is also pointed out that there was that time Dwyane Wade chased Butler off the Bulls and ended their friendship over Butler saying what things he would like to do to Wade’s wife, Gabrielle Union, in an explicit and public manner. Also, Butler was reported to shamelessly flirt with Union, per TMZ, even in front of Wade, which hasn’t helped his reputation.

It would appear that about the time Butler was rumored to have started hooking up with Andrade, she scrubbed all evidence of even knowing Towns from her social media profiles.

In a since-deleted Instagram post from the T-Wolves to Butler, as reported at Total Sports, the top comment said, “Why don’t you go celebrate with KAT’s girlfriend some more?”

It was also at that time that Towns stopped posting photos of he and Andrade together, or of just Andrade alone.

As reported by Pro Sports Daily, Butler has made it clear he will not sign a contract extension. Initially, Minnesota seemed hesitant to entertain any offers for Butler, but unsubstantiated rumors posted by analysts and fans on Twitter say Minnesota is realizing they have no choice but to move him. For Minnesota that presents a problem, as it will be difficult to get full value for Butler if everyone in the NBA knows he needs to be traded. There’s also the issue of replacing him and making sure there is no further fallout on the team.

Internet Detectives Present Evidence That Jimmy Butler Hooked Up With Karl-Anthony Towns' GF Which Caused Their Breakup & Was Part of The Reason Butler Demanded Trade (Tweets-IG-Pics-Vid) https://t.co/2dlsEEpGzp pic.twitter.com/heeHyrJiO4

— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) September 20, 2018

According to a column at Black Sports Online, they seem to be corroborating the love triangle gone wrong narrative, also stating that the cheating and breakup appeared to have happened around May. They compiled about five pages of social media posts demonstrating this isn’t really “new” news, but has been quietly floating around for a few months as an unspoken secret. Whether there is truth to it or not, given Butler’s reputation with women, and a large body of circumstantial evidence, the rumor may have legs.