The Miami Heat have been working diligently on a trade to bring Jimmy Butler to South Beach before the start of the regular season. After reports of the Minnesota Timberwolves rejecting an offer from the Heat, discussions slowed, but never stopped.
The All-Star, in his first practice back with the Timberwolves, let the team and organization know that he wasn’t happy and remained steadfast in his trade request. Butler showed up his teammates and became aggressive during the team practice, which ultimately distracted Minnesota, leaving the organization to tend to their in-house problems before restarting trade talks.
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The Timberwolves’ owner, Glen Taylor, decided to insert himself into the drama and sit down with Butler. According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Taylor and Butler had a civil meeting and came to an agreement:
“In the meeting, Taylor and Butler came to an agreement, sources said: Taylor will continue to work diligently to find a trade as soon as possible. Until that happens, Butler will be a good teammate and play as hard as he always does.”
Krawczynski went on to write about Taylor’s interaction with Thibodeau and the team, which shows that cooler heads have prevailed:
“Taylor also addressed the team, sources said, and was seen smiling and laughing with Thibodeau and Layden after practice.”
Butler has since had time to settle down and reflect on the past week, and when asked about his handling of the situation, the 29-year-old veteran showed no remorse:
“I don’t regret nothing. Anything. Zero.”
The accord that the Houston, Texas native and Taylor came to was surprising, but ultimately a good thing for Butler and the Timberwolves. As for Miami, it leaves the door cracked to a potential trade, but offers nothing else of value.
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