Report: Karl-Anthony Towns’ distaste for Jimmy Butler hurt his relationship with Tom Thibodeau

peter2dewey@yahoo.com'
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Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns did not see eye to eye during their time as teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Their rocky relationship led to Minnesota trading Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers early on in the 2018-19 season.

However, former Timberwolves and current New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau reportedly didn’t get along with Towns either in Minnesota.

“Tom Thibodeau and Towns didn’t get along in Minnesota,” the New York Post’s Marc Berman wrote. “One source believes it was more Towns’ distaste for Jimmy Butler than it was the head coach. Of course, Thibodeau sided with Butler on all fronts.”

Thibodeau lasted less than three seasons in Minnesota despite taking them to the playoffs during the 2017-18 campaign.

The Timberwolves now have rebuilt their core. They traded away Andrew Wiggins and acquired guard D’Angelo Russell.

Meanwhile, Butler has flourished in Miami, leading the Heat to the NBA Finals.

It seems that Butler may have been right to criticize Towns back in Minnesota.

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Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.