Jeff Teague, during his appearance on the Draymond Green show, provided an inside look at the tumultuous period when Jimmy Butler was with the Minnesota Timberwolves and how the situation deteriorated due to financial disagreements and personality clashes.
“No, it wasn’t that. It was really based on Jimmy wanting to be paid. When he came here, Tibbs told him, ‘Yo, we’re going to take care of you. We’re going to win, bro. We’re going to be a top-five seed in the West.”
“We’re going to shock the world. People don’t believe me.’ He was like, ‘I’m that good.’ I was like, ‘Damn, Jimmy, I’m good too. You know what I mean?’ He said, ‘Nah, I’m that good, bro. I’m gonna change this whole thing around.'”
“And then we forgot about Kat and Wig. We weren’t even thinking about them until we got to practice, and I saw Kat, and I was like, ‘Hey, he’s the best player on the team.’ And Jimmy agreed, ‘He’s the best one.’ The first two games of the season, we weren’t looking that good.”
“Jimmy came into the locker room and said, ‘F**k this, C. I gotta be me. I gotta take over this whole thing.’ He started killing it. We went on a run, started winning games, and he just said, ‘They ain’t the ones. They don’t got it.'”
“You know Wig, you play with Wig, he ain’t tripping. He looked at me and said, ‘I like Jimmy.’ So, Jimmy heard that and was like, ‘I’m rocking with Wig too.’ But Kat, he liked Jimmy, but the way Jimmy used to talk to people, Kat just couldn’t handle it. When Jimmy got hurt, we went from the third to the eighth seed.”
“That summer, Jimmy said, ‘Y’all see what the team looks like when I’m out and what we look like when I’m in. Take care of me. I want to get paid right now.’ But it was Kat’s turn to get the extension. We said, ‘It’s just Kat’s turn, bro. Your turn is next.’ He was like, ‘Nah, my turn is now.'”
Tibbs called me, like, ‘Can you just tell Jimmy we’re going to pay him next year?’ Jimmy said, ‘No, now.’ He said he was going to have a meeting and if anybody told anyone about it, he was out. I burst out laughing, like, ‘Bro, all right.’ We left the meeting, and literally, Jimmy tweeted that he was out.”
“We were like, ‘From what?’ Nobody said anything. He had a meeting and then did the show with Rachel Nichols. Jimmy, you’re crazy as hell, bro. But I love Jimmy, though. He’s crazy. But it was just about the money.”
“I’m that good bro. I’ma change this whole thing around.”
—@Teague0 takes @Money23Green behind the curtain of being @JimmyButler’s teammate pic.twitter.com/n2M7fRhdPw
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) July 18, 2024
Teague explained that Butler’s primary issue was his desire to be compensated adequately. When Butler was brought to Minnesota, Tom Thibodeau, the head coach and president of basketball operations, assured him that he would be taken care of financially.
Thibodeau also promised that Butler would help the team become a top contender in the Western Conference. Butler was confident in his abilities and believed he could significantly transform the team’s fortunes.
Initially, the focus was on Butler, with less attention paid to the team’s other stars, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. However, Teague quickly recognized Towns’ talent during practice, noting that he was the best player on the team.
Despite this, Butler was determined to take control, especially after a shaky start to the season. He took it upon himself to lead the team and, as a result, they began winning games. Butler, however, started to express doubts about Towns and Wiggins, feeling that they lacked the necessary drive and competitive edge. The conflict escalated over contract negotiations. Butler wanted his contract extension immediately, believing his impact on the team’s success warranted immediate compensation.
However, it was Towns’ turn to get the extension. Despite assurances that Butler’s contract would be addressed the following year, he insisted on being paid right away. Thibodeau even asked Teague to mediate, but Butler was unwavering.
The situation reached a boiling point during a team meeting, where Butler issued an ultimatum: if anyone leaked details of the meeting, he would leave. Despite no leaks, Butler soon publicly announced his departure. He scheduled an interview with Rachel Nichols to discuss the matter, further fueling the drama.
Teague’s insights highlight the complexities of managing star athletes’ egos and expectations within a team framework and how financial disputes can disrupt team dynamics.
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