Tom Thibodeau Stresses The Timberwolves Will Not ‘Make A Bad Deal’ In A Jimmy Butler Trade

With the Jimmy Butler saga ongoing, the Minnesota Timberwolves faced the media on Monday afternoon and addressed the particulars for the first time in a public forum. Butler himself was not in attendance for the media day festivities but, given the setup with head coach Tom Thibodeau also serving as the team’s personnel head, the topic had to be broached in some form.

Over the course of the session, Thibodeau noted that the team will not “make a bad deal” to send Butler elsewhere in the near future.

That comes as no surprise, especially as part of a public statement of sorts, but it is certainly interesting to note that the Wolves may not have as much urgency as an outsider may expect. From there, Thibodeau continued and stated that Minnesota’s needs as a franchise will be the centerpiece of any trade discussion.

The situation is undeniably odd, especially with training camp essentially beginning with media day. Had the Butler trade request come earlier in the offseason, the Wolves would have been able to sift through offers without a severe timeline, but Thibodeau insists he didn’t have advanced notice of Butler’s intentions to seek a trade, which makes things difficult.

With all of the cards on the table on both sides, it still seems as if a deal could come to fruition sometime soon, especially of owner Glen Taylor is pushing for a hasty resolution. But perhaps that might not necessarily be the case, as the Wolves, at least on the record, are taking the stance that they don’t have to pull the trigger just to make Butler happy at this juncture.