Let's just say the Tuesday meeting between Jimmy Butler and Minnesota Timberwolves head coach/team president Tom Thibodeau did not go well.
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, Butler has requested a trade from the Timberwolves, and provided a list of team(s) that he'd sign a contract extension with.
Jimmy Butler has requested a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, league sources tell me and @JonKrawczynski. Butler has given Minnesota a list of one-to-three teams with whom he's open to signing extension, in anticipation of trade.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 19, 2018
Thibodeau has reportedly been resistant to the idea of trading Butler, who he coached all the way back in his days with the Chicago Bulls. The deadline to move Butler is going to have to be a fast one, as media day is this upcoming Monday and training camp kicks off on Tuesday.
Tom Thibodeau has been resistant to the idea of trading Butler, we're told. With media day on Monday and training camp set to being on Tuesday, the clock is ticking.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) September 19, 2018
The writing appeared to be on the wall the past few months with Butler and Minnesota. Butler has been very vocal about the idea of playing on the same team as Kyrie Irving once entering free agency next summer.
Reports have surfaced claiming Butler has grown weary of the "nonchalant" behavior of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. However, that doesn't appear to be the case.
Minnesota's Jimmy Butler has three preferred destinations for a trade, league sources tell ESPN: The Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks. Those three teams have max cap space to sign Butler as a free agent in July.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 19, 2018
The decision to move on from Minnesota stems from Butler's contract demands, of which the team appears to be unwilling to pay, considering their plans to sign Towns to an extension.
I'm told Jimmy Butler's decision had very little if anything to do with Towns and Wiggins. More to do with contractual matters.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) September 19, 2018
Just when we thought the craziness of the NBA offseason was over, we've now been pulled back in.