The great NBA soap opera of 2018 was nearing its end, but there was one more plot twist to go before the finale.After nearly two months of uncertainty, Jimmy Butler had come out of the Timberwolves’ loss on Wednesday night to the Los Angeles Lakers with a new plan. After sitting out two games in a five-game stretch to “rest,” many expected him not to play on Friday night in Sacramento, the last of a five-game road trip. His approach was aimed at reducing his chances of getting injured before being granted the trade he so desperately wanted and also underscoring his message that his desire to be moved was unchanged. The Timberwolves had gone 0 for 4 to that point on their road trip, and Butler’s minutes were through the roof. So he went into the Kings game having reached something of a breaking point.
Butler decided he would play on Friday night, but he viewed it as the fork in the road. If the Timberwolves didn’t find a deal to fulfill his long-simmering trade request after that, he would begin to sit indefinitely, league sources told The Athletic.
The Kings defeated Minnesota 121-110 to push the Timberwolves to 4-9 and a winless road trip; Butler had 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in 41 minutes. He had played almost 124 minutes in the last three games, all losses, and at halftime of the final one, the Wolves were informed that this was it for Butler, sources said.
The Wolves were at a breaking point of their own. Tom Thibodeau’s hopes that they would play well at the start of the season and convince Butler to change his mind were dashed and there was growing concern in the organization about the precedent Butler was setting as young cornerstones Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, among others, watched it unfold.
After the game, Thibodeau told his staff in a meeting that they had to move Butler, league sources said. In fact, the Timberwolves nearly sat Butler in Friday’s game because they had traction on a possible trade, sources said.
Butler played anyway as the wheels for the first blockbuster trade of the NBA season were set in motion.
Everything came together on Saturday morning, with the Wolves shipping Butler to Philadelphia along with rookie Justin Patton for Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second-round pick.
It was the culmination of a long, drama-filled saga that began way back in September. Over the last eight weeks, The Athletic kept track of the twists and turns through conversations with sources throughout the league.
What follows is a diary of the dysfunction, according to those directly and indirectly involved.
Sept. 15: ‘An honest conversation’
Butler is seriously contemplating his future with the Timberwolves, and word spreads that he and Thibodeau will have a meeting to “have an honest conversation” about the All-Star’s future in Minnesota. It’s an ominous sign to require such a dialogue so close to the start of training camp, coming after a summer in which Butler made at least three other efforts to — in May, July and August — to make it clear that he did not see a long-term future in Minnesota.
The signs first came after Game 5 of the Wolves’ first-round playoff exit against the Houston Rockets, when Butler did not fly home with the team and skipped his season-ending medical exam. Butler and his representatives also told the Timberwolves that he did not plan on re-signing with the team in the summer of 2019 in July and again in August.
Knowing how important Butler was both to the Wolves’ success on the court and Thibodeau’s chances of being a successful team president and coach, Thibs did not take steps to explore deals for Butler during the summer. At least one team, unaware that Butler had already tried to steer Wolves leadership toward a trade, reached out to the Wolves in July to gauge Butler’s availability and was quickly shot down.
Jimmy Butler
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@JimmyButler
exactly why people need to stop believing what you see on the internet.. I didn’t have no damn meeting today... its tomorrow.. i wonder what else people write and people believe hmmm...
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9:19 PM - Sep 17, 2018
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Sept. 18: The meeting with Thibs
Still optimistic that Butler will be ready to report for camp, Thibodeau hops a flight in the morning telling those at team headquarters that everything was fine. He arrives at Butler’s house in Los Angeles and a tense meeting ensues.
Butler tells Thibodeau, the coach he credits with helping him develop from a late first-round pick who barely played as a rookie into an All-Star, that he wants out.
Thibodeau tells Butler that he can’t trade him, that he needs his star player if the Wolves are going to make a second straight playoff run in 2018-19.
Butler holds his ground, telling Thibodeau that no level of success in the upcoming season will change his mind.
When owner Glen Taylor becomes aware of the impasse, he is surprised. He was unaware that Butler and his representatives had expressed a position that he would not re-sign with Minnesota earlier in the summer.
It’s a crushing blow to Thibodeau’s blueprint for rebuilding the Timberwolves, one centered on the 2017 trade that sent Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen to the Bulls for Butler and Justin Patton. Butler was supposed to be Thibodeau’s extension on the court after the hard-nosed coach delivered underwhelming results with a very young team in his first season on the job. And they had just teamed up to win 47 games and end the franchise’s 13-season playoff drought.
It won’t be until the All-Star has a one-on-one conversation with the owner after his sit-down with Thibodeau that the gravity of the situation finally starts to sink in.
Butler tells Taylor that he never approached the owner to voice his displeasure because of his long-standing relationship and deep trust with Thibodeau led him to believe that the coach would understand where he was coming from and respect his wishes.
While initially disappointed that Butler waited so long to come to him, Taylor understands Butler’s allegiance to Thibodeau and starts to work on finding a trade to accommodate him.
It follows a familiar script in Timberwolves history. Taylor has long been willing to get directly involved and help broker deals or address concerns for disgruntled players who did not feel like their messages were being received by the front office. Al Jefferson, Kevin Love and Corey Brewer are just a few on a list that also includes Mike James, who was represented by Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee.
But there is still plenty of drama to come.
Sept. 21: The trade dialogue begins
Butler’s desire becomes public in the same week that the NBA holds its preseason meeting of the Board of Governors. One of the league’s longest-tenured owners, Taylor has always enjoyed broad support among his peers, having twice served as chairman of the board. But on this day, as the meetings were concluding in New York, he is the most popular man in the room.
One by one, owners and executives from interested teams approach Taylor to gauge his interest in moving Butler. Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden were taking a hard-line stance in the early days of the situation, so owners found Taylor in New York to start real dialogue.
Taylor tells them to approach Thibodeau and Layden and circle back if they can’t get anywhere. By and large, according to three teams who tried to engage, they got nowhere. Layden would answer phone calls and quickly proclaim that Butler was off limits and they were not going to trade him, all in an effort to find some leverage in an impossible situation.
Bewildered, league officials reach back out to Taylor for an explanation.
This is also when the Sixers first start to quietly enter the picture. Several players begin to reach out to Wolves counterparts to get a scouting report on Butler the player and Butler the teammate.
Sept. 22: Mixed messages
After fielding several calls from flummoxed teams saying they can’t get a response from the front office, Taylor speaks directly to Thibodeau and Layden and makes his desires loud and clear: don’t wait for the phone to ring, initiate the calls and bring the available deals to him for consideration.
He makes the decree after personally finishing off a five-year, $190 million extension for Karl-Anthony Towns, clearing the way for them to put their full attention on trading Butler.
As reports of Taylor’s edict come to light, several teams, including the Nets, Heat and Rockets prepare to get in the game. But they continue to meet resistance from Thibodeau and Layden, who maintain that they still see a scenario where Butler can remain with the Timberwolves.
Some owners start to consider subverting Thibodeau and Layden and going right to Taylor with their offers in hopes of fostering better communication and easier negotiating. But Taylor resists, not wanting to make a unilateral move and hoping to establish some consensus for such an important decision.
The group preaches patience, hoping that it will bring more substantive offers to the table.
Sept. 23: Miami enters the fray
It’s a Sunday, and many around the NBA begin to believe that Minnesota is progressing with a team on a trade. That team is Miami, which placed the first of several different frameworks on the table — a package centered around Goran Dragic, Justise Winslow and a draft pick. It proves to be just the start of a long trade process, and no deal forms before the season officially gets underway Monday at media day.
The Wolves are hesitant because they already have Jeff Teague, Derrick Rose and Tyus Jones as point guards and want to find a suitable replacement for Butler on the wing so they can stay competitive in the Western Conference.
Sept. 24: Media day
While some think Thibodeau’s obstinate stance is a negotiating ploy, more and more signs start to show that he is genuine. He meets with Butler on the morning of media day to try to convince a player that was supposed to be as close to him as any he’s ever coached to remain in Minnesota. That meeting causes Butler to be skeptical that Thibodeau is making a concerted effort to grant his wishes.
Thibodeau and Layden hold a joint press conference later that day and address the situation head on. The message: This isn’t the first time a player has requested a trade, and the Timberwolves are not going to be forced to accept pennies on the dollar.
“He’s a top-10 player in the league,” Thibodeau says. “We’re not going to make a bad deal. If it’s a good deal, then we’re interested.”
Sept. 28: The meeting in Mankato
With no movement and the season fast approaching, Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, makes the 90-mile drive to Mankato to visit Taylor at his home. Butler was initially discussing making the trip as well to personally plea for action, but the frustrated player stays back in the Twin Cities.
Lee and Taylor have a long heart-to-heart about the situation, laying all of the cards on the table. Lee offers to help facilitate a deal, and Philadelphia is one of the teams targeted as a desirable landing spot.
The two part ways believing more than ever that a deal can be completed.
Sept. 29: Butler and Taylor talk
After Butler decided not to drive for the face-to-face with Taylor, the two speak on the phone. Taylor assures Butler that he is trying to get a deal done and asks for patience as the process plays out. A wary Butler takes the owner at his word and continues with his workouts while he remains away from the team.
Oct. 1: A tug of war for leverage
The Wolves are in Los Angeles for the preseason, and Layden reaches out to the Butler camp in an effort to arrange a meeting between Butler and Thibodeau to further discuss the situation. Butler is hesitant, his frustration growing that a deal has not been completed while his camp gets feedback that the asking price is high.
From the Wolves’ side, Thibodeau and Layden continue to present a united front in conversations with other teams. They make it clear to teams that they won’t bow to public pressure and that teams better bring more to the table if they want a player of Butler’s caliber.
Oct. 2: The dinner in L.A.
Butler is getting antsy. The team had its training camp and departed for the West Coast for preseason games against Golden State on Sept. 29 and the Clippers in L.A. on Oct. 3. He stays behind and works out at the team facility early in the trip, then flies out to L.A. for a checkup on his wrist, which had minor surgery in August, and to reconnect with some teammates.
Butler watched the game against the Warriors on television and sent text messages to rookie Josh Okogie offering encouragement. While in L.A., he dines with several teammates, including Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague, the night before the Clippers game. It’s becoming more and more of a possibility, in his eyes and others’, that Butler will start the season in a Timberwolves uniform.
Oct. 4: Time running short
The Wolves return home from L.A., and anticipation starts building for a possible Butler trade. There are only three preseason games remaining, meaning Thibodeau will have precious little time for new players to acclimate to the team before the season begins.
The Wolves board their flight home, but Butler is not with them. He will not be returning to practice this week, as some with the Wolves thought was possible.
Oct. 5: Miami gets close again
The Wolves and Heat close in on a new deal centered upon Butler and promising, young up-and-comer Josh Richardson, exchanging medical exams. The framework of the proposed deal includes a first-round pick and the sides continue to discuss. After initially being reluctant to include Richardson in a deal, Heat president Pat Riley places the 25-year-old, two-way stalwart in talks to try to get a deal done.
In some ways, this emboldens Thibodeau and Layden. They have been criticized for dragging their feet. But in doing so, they have gained a significant concession with the Heat’s inclusion of Richardson.
Oct. 6: The Miami deal collapses, and Thibs gets booed
Butler leaves Los Angeles, flies right past the Twin Cities and heads to New York for the weekend.
The Wolves seem to be continuing to make serious headway with Miami on a potential deal. Richardson’s youth, two-way ability and the cost certainty of his four-year, $42 million contract make him an ideal target for the Wolves.
But the deal falls apart. Who is to blame for the talks collapsing depends on whom you ask. Around the NBA, the belief is that Thibodeau made a last-second ask to up the ante that caused the Heat to pull back. The Wolves quietly push back on that, alleging that the Heat were just as responsible for a deal not getting done.
That night, the team looks flat in their lone home preseason game against Milwaukee. Thibodeau is booed loudly. Less than 10,000 fans show up, an ominous sign for the empty arenas to come during the early portion of the regular season.
Oct. 8: A warning of what’s to come
Butler returns from New York to Minnesota even more frustrated with the lack of progress on a deal. He was planning on Miami, starting to shift his focus that way and put the last three weeks behind him. Now he finds himself back where he did not want to be, and he’s not letting Thibodeau off the hook.
He works out at Target Center and then has a meeting with Thibodeau to lay it all out. He is not changing his mind. He still wants a trade.
He tells his coach that if he has to return to the team, he plans to practice only with the third team and raise hell while doing it.
Thibodeau, meanwhile, isn’t concerned. Butler is a fiery personality, and the team has shown precious little edge in an underwhelming preseason to this point. The team needs a jolt.
Butler is ready to provide just that.
Oct. 9: Frustrations running high
The Wolves begin preparing to have Butler on the roster for opening night, now just eight days away. Deals are dissipating, frustration is running high and Taylor remains clear that his wish is for a deal to be completed eventually.
Several team officials talk to Butler and implore him to remain patient. At various points of the conversations, Butler seems open and accepting of the situation. At others, not so much. He shows up at the team facility in the morning but does not attend practice.
Oct. 10: The Practice
Butler practices, just like he promised he would, berating Thibodeau and Layden, challenging teammates and teaming up with third-teamers in a triumphant return. Jimmy was back.
“Y’all better hurry up,” he barks as he hit the court. “I’m only here for an hour.”
He arrives, he plays, he causes a scene. And then he bounces, strutting off the court and back to his suburban Minneapolis home for a televised interview with ESPN in which he says nothing is fixed and once again challenges Towns and Wiggins to match his level of intensity.