Jimmy Butler was utmost sincere with his longtime coach Tom Thibodeau during their meeting in Los Angeles on Tuesday, telling him he would be unwilling to sign a long-term extension to remain with the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
Jimmy Butler, Tom Thibodeau, and general manager Scott Layden were scheduled to meet in Minnesota for the meeting, but Butler had yet to be back to the Twin Cities since a Game 5 loss to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.
“It was in that meeting that Butler expressed a desire to be traded, telling Thibodeau that he does not intend to sign a long-term extension with the Wolves next summer,” wrote Krawczynski. “He has provided a list of one to three teams with which he would be open to signing a long-term deal.”
The teams are the New York Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets, and the L.A. Clippers — three organizations capable of hauling in not just one, but potentially two max-level players, allowing Butler to team up with the cog of his preference.
Rumors suggest a partnership with All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving in The Big Apple could be on the cards, given their willingness to play in a big market and Irving's ties to his home state of New Jersey.
The Wolves are expected to resume contract talks with Karl-Anthony Towns on a max-level extension, making him and Wiggins the two pillars for the organization moving forward after signing the latter to a five-year, $146.5 million deal last summer.
Follow Us
Subscribe