NBA Rumors: Jimmy Butler Reaches Agreement With Timberwolves Owner Glen Taylor, Reports ‘The Athletic’
Since the 2018 NBA offseason started, rumors and speculations continue to swirl that Jimmy Butler will be parting ways with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 29-year-old small forward has already demanded a trade from the Timberwolves and gave them a list of his preferred destinations. Upon his request, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor urged President of Basketball Operations and Coach Tom Thibodeau and General Manager Scott Layden to move Butler as soon as possible.
Several NBA teams have already expressed strong interest in adding Jimmy Butler to their roster, but most of them viewed the Timberwolves’ asking price as too high. Butler returned to Minnesota to reiterate his desire to be traded, but the Timberwolves were still having a hard time making a deal. The drama in Minnesota worsened when Butler rejoined the Timberwolves’ practice and started targeting some of his teammates and the management.
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has learned what happened during the practice and all the negativities surrounding his team. According to Jon Krawczynski of the Athletic, Taylor and his wife, Becky, headed to the Twin Cities on Sunday morning to meet with the disgruntled superstar. The meeting reportedly went well with Taylor and Butler reaching an agreement.
“Three days before the start of the regular season, Taylor met with his disgruntled All-Star before practice, searching for some sort of understanding to calm the noise that has drowned out any sense of excitement for the upcoming season. In the meeting, Taylor and Butler came to an agreement, sources said: Taylor will continue to work diligently to find a trade as soon as possible. Until that happens, Butler will be a good teammate and play as hard as he always does.”
Glen Taylor made a 90-minute drive to the Cities for a rare Wolves practice. He met Jimmy Butler and they reached an understanding as Butler prepares to play https://t.co/8Dj3lyWjLu
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) October 14, 2018
As of now, it is highly likely that Jimmy Butler will be entering the 2018-19 NBA season wearing the Timberwolves’ jersey. Andrew Wiggins, who has been one of the main targets of Butler, doesn’t see any problem sharing the court with the disgruntled superstar again.
“All I know is when we start playing the real games, Jimmy is someone you want on your team.”
Seeing Jimmy Butler play in the regular season will give opposing teams more opportunity to access his trade value. If he proves 100 percent healthy and establishes an All-Star performance, Bobby Marks of ESPN expects the Timberwolves to get a more appealing offer compared to what they got this offseason. As Marks noted, there will be a team during the regular season who might think that they are only a Butler away from winning an NBA championship title.
