Is Jimmy Butler in the Wolves’ future?

John LaForest
Staff Writer

The Jimmy Butler show and all the drama with him is still in full swing as the Minnesota Timberwolves prepare for their season opener Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs.

Last Wednesday, Jimmy Butler made his return to the team and attended practice. According to reports, Butler was vocal the entire practice attacking his teammates, coaching staff, and executives in the front office.

Butler at one point yelled towards the General Manager Scott Layden and said, “You f—ing need me, Scott. You can’t win without me.”

Jimmy Butler was injured in the middle of the 2017-2018 season. Before Jimmy Butler was injured the Wolves were a top four seed in the Western Conference. After Jimmy returned towards the tail end of the season, the Wolves were fighting the Denver Nuggets to stay alive and make the playoffs

The time for this all started in mid-July when the Timberwolves offered Jimmy a four-year extension worth $100 million dollars at the time Butler and his camp said, “You guys have done everything and we’re very appreciative, but our bet is that we should wait ‘til next year and we could get ourselves a better deal.”

If Jimmy Butler accepted that deal, he would be the third highest paid player on the team. Jimmy Butler is only 29 years old and led the team in points per game and was thought by many to be their best player last season.

After Butler’s explosion at practice on Wednesday, the Timberwolves canceled the team scheduled practice Thursday. Sources from the team say that there was a meeting held between Butler and his teammates on his frustrations he has with his teammates and the lack of commitment to winning he sees from them on the court.

Kevin Garnett, who played for the Minnesota Timberwolves 14 seasons out of his 21 seasons in the league, weighed in on the situation from the outside.

In an interview with The Athletic, Garnett said he hopes the franchise can “get through this rough patch and everybody can get on the same page and figure it out” but sees flaws in disgruntled star Jimmy Butler’s approach in requesting a trade.

“I think both sides are a little delusional,” Garnett said. “I think Jimmy thinks his worth is a little more than what it is. He’s a very good player. I don’t see him on the Kevin Durant and LeBron James level. But if they are A-plus, he’s A, A-minus.

“I don’t know if he had the power to come out and force a trade like this. He can be disruptive, but I don’t know if he actually had the clout to come out and do that. I don’t know if Jimmy has enough juice to be that.”

Minnesota Timberwolves coach said Sunday that guard Jimmy Butler practiced with the team and is expected to play in its season opener Wednesday. Let’s hope that the issue with Butler is resolved sooner rather than later for the Wolves.

Feature Photo: Jimmy Butler (middle) has been in the news as of late as he has expressed his displeasure with the team and organization. (Photo courtesy of the Associated Press)