Karl-Anthony Towns won't sign his impending max-level contract extension until the Minnesota Timberwolves resolve their issues with forward Jimmy Butler, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. The Timberwolves were previously rumored to hold out on extension talks with Towns before meeting with Butler to iron out issues, but as it turns out, it is Towns who is putting those talks on hold, not the franchise.
“They’re offering him as much money as they can,” said Wolfson. “I’m led to believe that a big reason why he hasn’t signed it is that he – through his agent, Leon Rose – went to the Wolves and said, “Hey, I can’t coexist with Jimmy. Do something about it.” So, Figure out the Jimmy situation. On top of that – whether it’s right or wrong, this is the way he feels – that it’s been Jimmy and Thibs ganging up on him.”
Head coach Tom Thibodeau has clearly chosen Butler over Towns, hoping to base the team's culture around his former star, bringing in familiar faces like Taj Gibson, Derrick Rose, and most recently Luol Deng in a true re-enactment of the 2011 Chicago Bulls roster.
Butler has already made his mind up and the Timberwolves will eventually find a suitable trade for Butler, an All-Star in his own right and one of the best two-way players in the league. Towns' holdout only serves as additional pressure for the Wolves to make this move quickly and avoid any further fissures after making a failed gamble on Butler during last year's NBA Draft.
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