One of the best stories of the NBA Playoffs so far has been the Golden State Warriors making a statement as the 7th seed in the Western Conference. Led by veterans Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, Steve Kerr‘s team has shown its class against the second-best team in the conference, the Houston Rockets. Of course, none of it would have been possible without an in-season trade for Butler. Golden State got lucky that a player of Butler’s caliber was available.
The Miami Heat had gotten tired of Butler’s act, with the player practically forcing his way out. The Warriors have reaped the rewards, especially since they’re in win-now mode. They don’t have to worry about the future, which would theoretically be a big question mark due to Butler’s grandiose exits from several teams. That begs the question, what would have to happen for Butler to want to leave the Warriors? A former teammate of Butler’s might know.
Jeff Teague makes clear that Jimmy Butler’s exit from Minnesota Timberwolves was due to money
Jeff Teague, a 12-year NBA veteran who spent time with Butler on the Minnesota Timberwolves, revealed details of his exit from the team back in 2018 that paints a trend with the All-Star: He’s very particular about his money.
Nah, Jimmy ain’t a prima donna at all. That’s what’s crazy. Jimmy’s a blue collar worker. But he just wants his bread. He had a little problem with how [Karl-Anthony Towns] played, but it really came from money. They extended KAT before they extended Jimmy… Jimmy’s like, ‘I just changed this franchise, pay me’. I want a max deal right now.
Teague then explains how he became the middleman for Butler and head coach/president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau. Thibodeau would ask Teague if Butler would attend practices, to which Butler would tell Teague to tell Thibodeau to pay him. Thibodeau knew they couldn’t just yet, and they needed to wait until the summer. Eventually, Butler was traded 13 games into the season.
The same type of thing happened at his next stops, with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Heat. His exit from the Heat was particularly turbulent, especially since the fallout began halfway through the season. Reports came out that Butler just wanted a big money extension that Pat Riley wasn’t willing to give him yet. Now, he’s on the Warriors. Will history repeat itself?
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