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When the Minnesota Timberwolves were knocked off early in the 2018, rumors began to surface that All-Star Jimmy Butler would eventually want out. Fast forward to today, those rumors became true when the Butler demanded president and head coach Tom Thibodeau for a trade away from the Wolves.
However, Butler's fellow teammates with the Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson were reportedly caught off guard with the disgruntled forward's trade request.
“[But] I worked out with him all summer, so when I said what I meant, it was like a right hook.” Gibson said after practice in a report by Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I didn't see it coming. I didn't know. I thought — it looked like from everything things were going good.”
Former 2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose also chimed in his thoughts on the situation.
[Butler's trade demand] was just a surprise, not only to me, I think to everyone that he wanted to leave. … I didn't know what the situation is. I just didn't know it was that bad. Even being here, I didn't know it was that bad.”
The former Chicago Bulls, however, did say that they respect Butler's decision and said that they understood where he was coming from. They understood the business aspect of the NBA, and that players just want to do what's best for themselves.
“Now in the NBA, everybody has a little bit of freedom to do a little more of what they want,” Rose added.
Gibson and Butler shared a close relationship since their days with the Bulls. Rose, however, seemed to have butted heads with the two-way star towards the end of the former MVP's tenure in Chicago. It's inevitable now that Butler will part ways with them for a second time.
Poor Wolves.
