After a two-month stalemate, the Minnesota Timberwolves have traded Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers for a package headlined by Dario Saric and Robert Covington.
It’s over, Timberwolves’ fans — you can breathe a sigh of relief. Jimmy Butler has been traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. Per The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to send Butler and Justin Patton eastward for Dario Saric, Robert Covington, Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second-round pick.
This bombshell drops within 24 hours of The Athletic’s Sam Amick coincidentally prefacing his Friday interview with Jimmy Butler by noting,
"There’s no end in sight when it comes to the NBA’s latest superstar saga, and Butler is well aware that he may not get his wish anytime soon. So, what now, as the Feb. 7 trade deadline slowly draws near?"
What a complete 180-degree turn. When the Wolves failed to trade Butler before the season started and Tom Thibodeau remained resolute in his desire to win with his ornery superstar, things looked like they might extend for the long haul.
After a disappointing 4-9 start to the season that has seen Karl-Anthony Towns noticeably affected by Butler’s presence, it’s good to see this deal get done early in the season as the entire situation has (predictably) made the last month unpleasant for everyone but Butler, who has seemed to relish his hijinks and nightly interviews.
Despite putting up stats on par with his career norms, Butler hasn’t been contributing to the Wolves’ efforts to win for weeks now.
Friday night was the culmination of his lack of professionalism; despite over a week of ignoring about a dozen pocket passes a game to Towns, Butler took his reckless and selfish play to a whole new level, absolutely torpedoing any chance the Wolves had of beating the Sacramento Kings.
After the game he even turned on his long-time coach, denouncing the heavy minutes he’s been playing (Butler played 41 minutes in Sacramento):
"That shit has to stop … Is that a convo (with Thibodeau) that I’ve got to have? Yeah, and then everybody wants to talk about how the motherf***er’s not healthy [he said of himself]. Well God damn, we’re playing 41, 43, 44 (minutes per game), it takes a toll on top of all the work that I do that don’t nobody even see."
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, it was also Friday night’s loss to the Kings that finally forced Thibodeau to face the facts:
After winless 5-game road trip that ended with loss Sacramento on Friday night, Tom Thibodeau had come to realization that the Wolves couldn't win with Butler in this dysfunctional environment, sources said. He told associates that Minny wouldn't play another game with Butler.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 10, 2018
If that is Thibodeau’s actual opinion, that’s not going to help the Timberwolves be ahead of the curve in the years to come — if Thibodeau survives that long.
For now, at least, Minnesota has made its locker room healthier and happier by shipping away their disgruntled superstar. Let’s analyze what they got and how it will shape the team’s future.