The Preseason has already started for the Minnesota Timberwolves over the weekend and Jimmy Butler is nowhere to be found.
Considering some recent news about the trade, this was a surprise to no one. At the moment, Butler has not been traded yet and he is having his solo moment while his future is being resolved by the Wolves.
However, this obviously is not right as star players do not typically go AWOL when they make a trade request. Franchises may decide to send the players home in many cases. For example, Phoenix Suns notably did this to Eric Bledsoe last fall but their situation was different.
It can be recalled how Suns team was going nowhere fast and lost two of their three first games last fall by 40 points. They fired the head coach and after all of this, Bledsoe publicly declared he wants no part of it. While Bledsoe tried to cover up his statement and avoid being sued, the Suns finally decided to find a new home for him. Suns worked out a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Moreover, the situation with Minnesota is a bit different. The Timberwolves are reportedly expected to at least have a comeback in NBA playoffs before Butler's trade request. According to SB Nation, Butler is unhappy due to the personality conflicts he had with the team. With this, he is planning to use the free agency in 2019 and find his new home. Butler already expressed his desire to be traded to certain teams in order to maximize his earning.
The request does well within the rights of Butler but he is under contract with the Timberwolves this season. If the Timberwolves patiently survey the market for Butler's potential home, they have a right to demand that he should fulfill the interim's contract. Now that Wolves seems to be in silence about addressing the matter, this speaks how broken the team's internal structure has become.
Tom Thibodeau, the coach, and front office leader will be foolish if he calls Jimmy Butler's bluff as and allows him on the roster for the entire season. Unfortunately, he will likely lose him in July 2019 and there is no use in throwing himself into the wind. Butler's trade, on the other hand, has been in a rush and is expected to happen on October 15. It is safe to say this does not make sense as well because the NBA trade deadline is not over until February 2019.
