Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jimmy Butler will meet with president/head coach Tom Thibodeau and general manager Scott Layden today to address the direction of the franchise, and while he doesn't seem thrilled with the route they have taken, he's still willing to hear them out, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com.
Butler isn't dead set in demanding a trade before the start of training camp, but this meeting will basically make Thibodeau choose between him or Karl-Anthony Towns as the star of the franchise.
This is reportedly a “last-ditch effort” for Minnesota to keep Butler, given his unhappiness with how the team reacted all season long, failing to see the fire in young players' eyes, who acted nonchalantly when losing.
The Timberwolves slid from being the fourth-best team in the West to barely getting into the playoff picture, waiting for Butler to pull miracles after coming back from a late-season injury.
Butler's competitiveness has ruffled some feathers across the locker room, despite Thibodeau's effort to help him set the culture by bringing in his former teammates Derrick Rose and most recently Luol Deng.
This move might just backfire if Butler decides to part ways with the Twin Cities, making him a one-year gamble after the team chose to trade two of their brightest prospects in Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn, along with Lauri Markkanen, for Butler on draft night last year.
Butler is expected to have plenty of suitors, as NBA teams have already started to line out some trade offers in the event that the All-Star forward wants out immediately and requests a trade.
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