The Jimmy Butler trade saga is just what sports media needed to occupy the dullest stretch of the NBA offseason. The Timberwolves' brass remain divided as to how they will proceed but were none-the-less willing to acquiesce to Butler's desire to go public with his demands.
Coach Thibodeau wants to ring in the new year with Butler, that's been made clear. Unfortunately, the owner sees things a bit differently. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski learned of the owner's plans while conversing with a member of the 'Wolves board of governors. "It's just a matter of when," he added. Trading Butler would undeniably crush Thibodeau's dream of rebuilding the 2012 Chicago Bulls roster from scratch.
What the organization decided as the proper conduit for the Butler situation was to bar him from participating in the team's annual media day, thus keeping media scrutiny to a minimum. They have also reported that Jimmy will likely miss the beginning of training camp while they sort out this mess.
Although management has opened up talks with other NBA franchises, they are still retaining hope Butler will change his mind and stay the course. A Timberwolves' roster without Jimmy Butler would out Andrew Wiggins in an excellent position to up his shot totals and earn every penny of his max contract numbers-wise. Mind you, that doesn't sound like much of a winning proposition.