UPDATE (1 p.m. ET): The Timberwolves have given Jimmy Butler permission to skip the team’s Media Day on Monday, and he won’t be on the court at the start of training camp, per The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski.
ORIGINAL STORY (11:30 a.m. ET): Jimmy Butler is willing to go to great lengths to leave the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
The Minnesota Timberwolves guard is considering not reporting to training camp if the team fails to honor his trade request, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reported Friday, citing NBA sources. Krawczynski’s report comes just days before the Timberwolves begin training camp, with their star player wanting out ahead of the final year of his contract.
Conflicting reports over the Timberwolves’ willingness to trade Butler also exist. Timberwolves head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau reportedly doesn’t want to trade Butler for rebuilding pieces, but owner Glen Taylor told rival owners to contact him if trade talks with Thibodeau and general manager Scott Layden fail to progress, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The coming days might prove to pivotal in the futures of Butler and the Timberwolves, as posturing will turn to action, or inaction, with the passing of a brief amount of time.
