After months of drama, the Minnesota Timberwolves finally traded small forward Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Timberwolves pretty much made the decision to trade the All-Star swingman after the team lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday at Staples Center.
Windhorst says the Timberwolves "pretty much" made the decision to trade Jimmy Butler after the Lakers game.
The Timberwolves told teams yesterday afternoon that they would make their decision on Saturday
— Rob Lopez (@r0bato) November 10, 2018
Jimmy Butler most likely knew about the decision. The four-time All-Star played a pathetic game Friday night against the Sacramento Kings, scoring 13 points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field. He also made costly turnovers and even missed two free throws in the fourth quarter which could have tied the game.
It was evident to everyone watching the game that Butler didn’t want to play in Minnesota.
Article Continues BelowThe Timberwolves can finally move on from this whole saga which started in September. The team is currently on a five-game losing streak, and it was clear that Butler was having a negative effect on the team. Ticket sales are also way down, as the fans in Minnesota were getting tired of Butler's antics and Tom Thibodeau's reluctance to trade the swingman.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins can now play comfortably knowing that Jimmy Butler is gone.
After their loss to the Clippers earlier in the week, one Timberwolves player told me the locker room was a “soap opera.” https://t.co/KfYG3fDIVs
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) November 10, 2018
The Timberwolves' next game is on Monday against the Brooklyn Nets at home. It's a new, fresh start in Minnesota.