Jimmy Butler’s awkward dance with the Minnesota Timberwolves continues, as the star guard plays in games despite being very open about his desire to be traded.
Butler offered some further assurances on that front Friday, however, noting that he loves his teammates despite his desire to leave them behind.
“These are my guys,” Butler told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. “Look, [my situation] don’t got [expletive] to do with me and everybody in this [expletive] locker room. I love these [expletive]. I’m going to keep it one hundred with you. I love these guys. So, when everybody says, ‘Oh, there’s going to be a problem in the locker room.’ Yeah, all right. Does it look like there’s a problem in the locker room?
“I’m going to be the same guy at the end of the day. That’s the crazy part. Nobody knows what’s going on. You can only guess. You can’t only go by what somebody says. But until you’re in here and you notice what’s going on, you have no clue. I’m not worried about nobody, man. My guys are my guys.”
Considering there have been widespread reports that Butler and at least one of his teammates do not see eye-to-eye, it’s been a fair question as to whether this was a factor in the dynamic, especially when there’s been some public evidence of it. Butler isn’t backing down from his trade demand, but he’s not throwing his teammates under the bus, either.
