Jimmy Butler is not going to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves in Wednesday night’s game against the Utah Jazz, but the star swingman insists he is not benching himself as a way of showing his displeasure with the franchise.
Butler told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that he has decided not to play on Wednesday because he does not feel 100 percent healthy. He admitted that he does not want his injury to turn into something more serious as he continues to seek a trade, but he denied that he is trying to make some sort of statement.
“Because my body is hurting and I don’t want to go out there and risk an injury, people make stuff up?” Butler said in a text to Nichols. “What are they going to do when I show up and hoop on Friday?”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Timberwolves actually suggested Butler should rest on Wednesday night, but that does not mean he is going to continue sitting out games moving forward.
Sources: The Timberwolves suggested that Jimmy Butler rest vs. Utah tonight and there’s an expectation that he will join the team on flight to Bay Area to play Golden State on Friday. Teams talking to Minnesota about trades say that the asking price remains steep.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 31, 2018
There are conflicting reports about why Butler is sitting out, as Shams Charania of The Athletic was told that Butler made the decision and could ultimately be looking at an “extended absence.”
So what is exactly is going on here? Perhaps Butler and the Timberwolves are on the same page. Butler still wants a trade, and team owner Glen Taylor recently made it clear that he intends to grant the four-time All-Star’s wish. It’s possible that the team wants Butler to avoid suffering an injury as well, as that would put them at risk of seeing his trade value plummet.
One team has reportedly already made an offer to the T-Wolves for Butler, but they want a better return. The only way to assure Butler does not suffer any type of injury is to have him sit. It wouldn’t be out of the question for both him and the team to come to that decision together.
