Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson told reporters Thursday he's curious to see where Minnesota Timberwolves small forward Jimmy Butler will end up.
Butler has requested a trade from the Timberwolves and Thompson knows whatever team gets him will instantly get better.
“I'm just curious to see where he goes because he's such a great player,” Thompson said, via ESPN's Nick Friedell. “He can really elevate a team to championship contention. And it's unfortunate it didn't work out in Minnesota but Jimmy's one of the best players in this league so — I know some team's going to be lucky to get him.”
In his first season with the Timberwolves after spending the first six years of his career with the Chicago Bulls, Jimmy Butler averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. The four-time All-Star shot 47.4 percent from the field, 35.0 percent from beyond the 3-point line, and 85.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Butler and Thompson won a Gold Medal together at the 2016 Olympics with Team USA and have had plenty of battles in the NBA. They are both regarded as two of the best two-way players in the league.
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, one of the main reasons Butler wants out of Minnesota is he doesn't believe he can take down Thompson and the Warriors with center Karl-Anthony Towns and swingman Andrew Wiggins as his sidekicks. Butler reportedly doesn’t respect Wiggins’ work ethic and approach on defense, and got fed up with the nonchalant attitude of Towns.
Ironically enough, the Timberwolves' first preseason game is Sunday against the Warriors.
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