Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jimmy Butler is scheduled to meet with head coach/president Tom Thibodeau in a “last-ditch” effort to address the issues between him and the franchise, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Butler turned down a contract extension with the team earlier this summer and could become a free agent at the end of this 2018-19 season, which could ultimately tear down the culture Thibodeau had in mind for this team when he traded for Butler during draft night in 2017.

“It's gonna come to a head this week,” said Charania of the meeting. “There's been a lot of tension brewing behind the scenes between the players, between management, him. There's been a lot of uncertainty around Jimmy Butler all summer. He hasn't been back to Minnesota. This is gonna be a telltale week for him. Very much so I'm told this is a last-ditch meeting for the Minnesota Timberwolves.”

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Butler had been rumored to be irked by his younger teammates' nonchalant reaction to losing games, something that upset him greatly as a fierce competitor that sped up his recovery from injury to join them in the team's first postseason run in 14 years.

“This is very much a scenario where this could be a last-ditch effort  for the Timberwolves in keeping Jimmy Butler for this season, his free agency, all else,” said Charania.

The Wolves could potentially see Butler walk away after two seasons if he doesn't see eye-to-eye with management, who could opt to prioritize young pieces in Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins instead of keeping him content for the entire season.