Minnesota Timberwolves swingman Jimmy Butler's rep keeps taking hit after hit, and the latest piece of news regarding the four-time All-Star small forward will only add more fuel to the fire.
According to a report from Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, after the Houston Rockets eliminated the Timberwolves in the first round of the 2018 playoffs, Butler did not fly with the team back to Minnesota and took a flight to Los Angeles instead. Butler also refused to do the standard medical exam all players go through as part of their exit interviews.
This is a really bad look for Jimmy Butler. Teams around the league are already aware of Butler's previous antics in the locker room, but this is borderline unprofessional. Head coach/president Tom Thibodeau doesn't get a pass either. There have been multiple reports claiming Butler told Thibodeau he wanted out of Minnesota earlier in the summer. Thibodeau, though, should have started to take and make trade calls after this plane incident. He's been around the game long enough to know that if a player doesn't fly back on the team plane, something is up.
All these reports have to be killing Butler's trade value. It’s going to be a risk having this guy in your locker room and every team in the league knows it. He's one of the best two-way players in the game, but this is now the third year in a row that a team Butler has been on has had locker room and chemistry issues.
Butler averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game last season with the Timberwolves. He shot 47.4 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from beyond the arc. The 29-year-old is slated to make $18.7 million this season and has a player option for the 2019-20 season. More money is available to Butler if he plays out his contract and enters the open market in 2019.
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