In a segment on his podcast, 4x NBA champion Draymond Green may have just exposed some lingering feelings of bitterness between Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns. Karl didn’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Warriors and, according to Green, it’s because he wants to avoid playing against Jimmy Butler.
“The Timberwolves didn’t have KAT and some would say he didn’t play because Jimmy [Butler] was in the building,” said Green. “I saw KAT’s Pops yesterday at the game and it’s always love, I got mad love for the OG. Yeah, but they said [Karl-Anthony Towns] ain’t play because Jimmy came into town and you know him and Jimmy had the infamous practice in Minnesota. Maybe that’s a thing.”
Draymond Green is known to be someone who stirs the pot, but he has access to Butler that nobody else does right now. After his trade from the Heat to the Warriors this February, Jimmy has been thriving in Golden State, helping Draymond and Steph move their team up in the standings.
It’s been smooth sailing for Butler and the Warriors so far, which is more than can be said for his time with the Timberwolves. Butler averaged 22.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game in Minnesota, but it didn’t take long for things to turn sour.
Specifically, it was one practice back in 2018 that completely derailed his stay with the Wolves and began his rivalry with Towns. In a now infamous rant, he went off on his teammates and management for their struggles on the court.
As he single-handedly smoked them in a scrimmage, Butler trash-talked all the Timberwolves starters, calling them soft and challenging them to show more fight in every game. Whatever Butler meant by his scene, it ended up being the final nail in the coffin for his days in Minnesota.
Jimmy was traded not long after the legendary practice and Towns apparently never forgave him. According to Draymond, it’s the reason he wasn’t in the game this Tuesday despite being cleared to play two nights later.
In reality, Towns missed the game due to the death of his girlfriend’s friend due to cancer. He and his partner (Jordyn Woods) took the day off as a sign of respect but Draymond never bothered to check, and now he looks incredibly careless and insensitive.
While we don’t know the extent of Towns’ feelings toward Butler, there’s no evidence to show that he’s trying to duck a matchup with the NBA veteran. To date, KAT is 6-3 against Jimmy in his career and hasn’t lost to the NBA swingman since 2021.
Despite the past, there’s nothing to prove that Karl-Anthony Towns is holding anything against his former teammate. In fact, the evidence suggests that he’s already moved on. This season, as a member of the Knicks, Towns is having one of the best seasons of his career with averages of 24.5 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game on 53% shooting.
The best thing Butler can do is forget about the past and focus on his current pursuits with the Warriors. The team is 9-1 since his arrival and if he can help them make another title run, it will make up for all the bridges he burned along the way.
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