Spurs vs. Timberwolves: Jimmy Butler Could Play Opener Amid Ongoing Trade Talks

Jimmy Butler could take the court for the Minnesota Timberwolves when they face the San Antonio Spurs in their opening game of the 2018-19 NBA season on Wednesday night at the AT&T Center despite all the drama surrounding the shooting guard’s future in the last few weeks.

The Wolves guard made a request to be traded during the offseason over a month back, but despite positive talks with the Miami Heat — Butler’s preferred destination — there has been no deal reached. He missed all of their pre-season games attending practice on just four occasions thus far.

The shooting guard’s representatives were frustrated at Wolves’ demands that were putting off interested franchises and that has seen Butler also stay away from the team until last week when he took part in a practice session with the rest of the squad for the first time.

The frustrations between the player and the franchise came to the fore as he vented out his displeasure which included a rant at Wolves general manager Scott Layden stating: “You f---ing need me, Scott. You can't win without me."

Butler later admitted most of the report about the fiery session was true and made it clear that his problems with the franchise were not fixed despite him returning to training. He has now traveled with the rest of the squad to San Antonio and coach Tom Thibodeau confirmed he could play on Wednesday.

"I'm planning on playing him, and if he feels good he'll be ready to go," Thibodeau said after practice Tuesday, according to NBA.com.

Butler made it clear that despite his desire to be traded it will not take away from him giving his best performance if he takes the court for the Wolves against the Spurs.

"They want me to go out here and hoop to the best of my abilities," Butler said. "Make sure I'm healthy, compete, because that's what I love to do, and do it for the guys in the same jerseys as me."

Timberwolves new boy Anthony Tolliver spoke highly of Butler and revealed the impact the shooting guard has on the team despite being part of the group for a short period of time.

"He's going to say some words, but even if he doesn't say a word, he's a leader. He's someone you can look at and say, 'All right, I can rock with you,' because I know what your intentions are," Tolliver said. "Just being around him the last 10 days or whatever it's been, I can tell instantly what type of impact he has on this team."

"It's not in his DNA to slack," the Wolves’ newly acquired power forward added amid questions about Butler’s commitment to the team in the face of trade talks.