The Minnesota Timberwolves may have held some sort of meeting on Thursday to address the way Jimmy Butler acted at practice the day before, but one member of the team insists any talk of Butler calling a players-only gathering is nonsense.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Butler called a players-only meeting Thursday to express his feelings about his situation and reassure his teammates he will compete with them if he is not traded prior to the start of the season. T-Wolves point guard Jeff Teague called Charania’s report “fake news.”
@ShamsCharania it wasn’t no players meeting you just made that up bro y’all gotta relax with this fake news
— Jeff Teague (@Teague0) October 11, 2018
Without trying to read too deeply into an 18-word tweet, it’s noteworthy that Teague specifically denied the part about the meeting only involving players. With Minnesota having cancelled practice and media availability on Thursday, perhaps members of the coaching staff and/or front office were present for the meeting.
Whatever the case, Butler has essentially confirmed that he lashed out at teammates, coaches and Minnesota’s front office during Wednesday’s practice. He still wants to be traded and is said to have a specific destination in mind, but Butler is a competitive player who has given no indication his effort will be in question if he remains with the Timberwolves through the start of the regular season.
