Thibs' stubbornness gained him nothing, but nearly cost the Wolves everything
The cardinal rule for trading a superstar away is to get a potential superstar in return. That means a young player with buckets of potential waiting to be fulfilled, or lottery draft picks.
For the Wolves, with very short list of teams in the Jimmy Butler hunt, that meant only two possibilities: Josh Richardson or Markelle Fultz.
They got neither of them.
And it wasn’t because they couldn’t.
The Timberwolves got a fittingly muddled end to a muddled saga. They handled Jimmy Butler’s trade demand and the fallout of that in the worst possible way, causing catastrophic damage to the franchise due almost exclusively to one man’s stubbornness: Tom Thibodeau.
“Thibodeau sold Taylor on trading a starry young core and a high lottery pick to Chicago for Butler on draft night in 2017, sold him on waiting out Butler’s preseason trade demand for two months.
He sold him a strategy of publicly excusing Butler’s disruptive behavior, compromising his own credibility within his locker room, because Thibodeau believed he could navigate the dysfunction and win games.
Thibodeau sold Taylor on passing on a strong Miami trade package, because he was sure Pat Riley would come back with a better offer, and the league would chase in a bidding frenzy for Butler.
Taylor kept doubling down, and when he hung up the phone with Philadelphia owner Josh Harris on Saturday morning, Minnesota had lost everything — the four-time All-Star in his prime, the trade standoff, and ultimately, the trust to stay with Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden beyond this season.
Even at the expense of sullying his professional standing, Butler played them all in Minnesota — and shamed the Timberwolves into trading him to a big market contender. The Timberwolves couldn’t find a team to bail them out of this debacle, and Thibodeau couldn’t sell Taylor on one more basketball game with Butler in a Timberwolves uniform.”
Jimmy made it clear he wanted out. Glen Taylor made it clear he wanted Jimmy traded. The players - though they made a valiant effort to hide it - were clearly affected by the ongoing drama. Thibs, and Thibs alone, wanted Jimmy to stay. And somehow he was given the license to try and make that happen, against all sound logic and even after the extent of the damage he was causing became clear.
And part of that damage was costing the Wolves the one guaranteed chance they had at a possible future star. The snarling between Thibs and Pat Riley is well documented, and it’s clear now that Thibs was sabotaging those trade talks on purpose - which was also an act of unprecedented insubordination as well.
So instead of a potential star, they get two high end role players (who I do like, for the record) Instead of a first round pick to lock in talent or facilitate another trade, they get a second round pick - a dime a dozen asset that can be straight up purchased for cash on draft nights. They get to stay under the luxury tax. That’s great for Glen’s wallet. That means nothing for fans, who will feel that effect only as watching players less talented than Josh Richardson on the court.
Thibs’ stubborn refusal to accept reality resulted in the Wolves being forced to accept a lesser deal after the shipwreck Thibs caused washed ashore. They have no upside from it. There are no lessons to be learned. No silver linings. Nothing happened that wasn’t seen coming from 10 miles away.
Woj framed the fallout of this as Thibs betting on Jimmy and losing everything. That is, to be blunt, not accurate. Thibs is still employed. Despite everything, he is still the head coach and president of the team.
Thibs did not bet on Jimmy. Jimmy made his position crystal clear. Thibs bet on himself. He lost. And it was the Wolves as a franchise that nearly lost everything because of that. How Thibs is still employed, much less still in charge, is, quite frankly, inexplicable.
