NBA Daily: Can Timberwolves Repair Relationship With Butler?

After a long offseason hiatus, Jimmy Butler returned to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.

It probably didn’t go as Tom Thibodeau and his coaching staff had hoped.

Butler was fired up as soon as he stepped onto the court with his teammates. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, it was the first time he’s done so since the Timberwolves were eliminated by the Houston Rockets back in April. However, Butler wasn’t fired up to be on the floor with them, but to show them what he can do and that they need him.

Butler, in an outburst that may or may not have been staged for an interview, dominated the floor and challenged all he could, per Wojnarowski. He went at teammates, coaches and front office personnel. As the frustrations over his September trade request (and lack of an actual trade) boiled over, Butler pushed his teammates and, while he may have initially stunned them, energized them in the process.

Ironically, that’s one of the major things Butler was brought to Minnesota to do in the first place; push Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, among others, and make them better.

But where do Butler and the Timberwolves go from here? Whether this was a one-time stunt, a last-ditch effort to get his teammates to match his effort and intensity or simply a way to force management to make a move, Butler is still unhappy with the team.

Butler reportedly won’t miss any regular season games, and Thibodeau may just be happy to have him back in the building, but how long can things go on like this before it all blows up? Can a strained player-franchise relationship potentially on the brink of collapse even be fixed?

Butler, to put it short, doesn’t think so.

In an interview later Wednesday evening with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, Butler further elaborated on the flare-up. Among the talk of passion, heart, appreciation and other factors that led to his eventual trade request, Butler put it bluntly.

“It’s not fixed,” Butler said. He added that it could be, though, in the end, he doesn’t think it will be.

But why not? If the roster goes into the season energized and if Towns and Wiggins practice and play with the passion and heart that Butler is looking for, there is no doubt that Butler’s feelings toward the team and thoughts on a trade may shift.

On paper, and with Butler in the fold, the Timberwolves have the talent to be one of the best teams in the NBA. They certainly afford Butler the best opportunity to win games right now. Barring the blockbuster of all blockbuster trades, there isn’t another team with an established star of Towns’ caliber and high-level role players that Wiggins, Taj Gibson, Anthony Tolliver, Jeff Teague and others that Butler could turn to.

The Miami HEAT, who continue to pursue Butler despite numerous trade disruptions, have similar issues that forced Butler’s hand in the first place. Hassan Whiteside, namely, has a questionable motor and intensity and – as arguably the best player Erik Spoelstra’s squad has to offer  – it may, at the very best, be a lateral move for Butler.

If Butler is all about winning, and those previous criteria are met, it would almost make more sense to work things out in Minnesota rather than continue to seek a trade.

Of course, Towns, Wiggins and the others could just as easily go about their business as usual while Butler further isolates himself from the team before an eventual departure via trade or otherwise.

Either way, it is clear that the Butler-Timberwolves saga will be the storyline to watch in the early days of the season until some outcome is achieved. That outcome, whether it be realized in Minnesota or elsewhere, could have the potential to alter the playoff landscape as we know it.