Much has been said regarding Jimmy Butler 's brief and tumultuous time in Minnesota, where he played 69 games over two seasons. Many already know about the infamous practice wherein "Jimmy Buckets" shredded the Timberwolves' starters while playing with the reserves and point to that moment as the tipping point in his decision to leave Minnesota.
However, former All-Star guard Jeff Teague , who was on that Timberwolves squad, shed more light on the matter, saying Butler's departure was rooted in a financial dispute.
Jimmy believed the Wolves could take the next step
The former Marquette star arrived in Minnesota in the 2017 offseason in a trade with Chicago. He was optimistic about the team's chances of making a deep postseason run in the 2017-18 season, seeing as the Wolves had numerous young and talented players like Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Butler even recruited veterans like Teague and Taj Gibson to join Minnesota to bolster their roster further.
"I never forget, Jimmy called me and was like, 'Yo, come to Minnesota.' I was like, 'Alright.' He got Taj to come, Jamal (Crawford) to come, we all came. He was like, 'We're gonna win, bro. We're gonna be a top-five seed in the West. We're gonna shock the world. People don't believe me. I'm that good,'" Teague recalled on "The Draymond Green Show."
Jimmy's vision for the team became more explicit when he went to practice and saw what the young guns were capable of. After all, KAT was a 7-footer with the handles and shooting range of a guard, while Wiggs was a two-way player with incredible athleticism.
"I saw KAT, and I was like, 'He's the best player on the team.' Jimmy was like, 'Yeah, he's the best one.' Then I was like, 'Wiggins is dynamic too.' Jimmy said, 'KAT's gonna average 25, Wiggins is gonna average 20-something, I'll average like 18. You'll get your 14, Taj will get his 12 or 13.' He said they were gonna be the focal points, and he'd do all the little things,'" Jeff shared.
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A reality check
However, all of Jimmy's initial plans went out the window after Minnesota began the season winning only two of their first five games, including lopsided losses to Indiana and Detroit. After those setbacks, Teague said the 6-foot-7 wingman reconsidered his approach.
"Jimmy came into the locker room and was like, 'Forget this. 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 started saying, 'They ain't the ones. They don't got it.' I was like, 'Damn, Jimmy, they got it.' He said, 'Nah, they don't believe like we believe. They're used to losing. I don't know how to lose,'" Jeff said.
After Jimmy took over, the Wolves won eight of their next ten games and were on a roll until he hurt his right knee in February. Minnesota then scrambled to finish as the eighth seed but was ousted by the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Butler wanted to get paid
Realizing his value to the team, Teague demanded that Butler be given a contract extension. Unfortunately, the front office couldn't do it as they were still working on KAT's contract extension.
"That summer, Jimmy was like, 'Y'all see what the team looks like without me and what we look like with me. Take care of me. I want to get paid right now.' But it was KAT's turn to get the extension. We were like, 'It's just KAT's turn, bro. Your turn is next.' He was like, 'Nah, my turn is now,'" Jeff remarked.
While Jimmy's disconnect with some of his teammates may have contributed to his departure from Minnesota, his desire for financial security ultimately led to his trade to Philadelphia in November 2018.
"It really was based on Jimmy wanting to be paid. That's where it came from. It wasn't about KAT, it wasn't about Wiggins, it wasn't about me, Taj, or D-Rose. None of that. It was about him getting paid. When he came here, Thibs told him, 'Yo, we're gonna take care of you,'" the former Wake Forest guard stated.
"Jimmy Buckets" is one of the best two-way players of this generation. A fierce competitor and a relentless worker, Butler has carved out a reputation as one of the toughest players in the NBA.
At the same time, he could also be a little headstrong and stubborn, often clashing with coaches and teammates. This was evident during his brief time in Minnesota, which began with a lot of promise but ended in a messy divorce.
Related: "He was definitely the MVP of our team" - Jeff Teague on Kyle Korver's controversial 2015 All-Star Game selection
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