Jimmy Butler is excited for his next NBA chapter in Minnesota. Why wouldn’t he be? Reuniting with former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and teaming up with rising stars Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns provides more optimism than wasting away his prime years on a Bulls team going nowhere.
So how exactly did Butler find out he was traded? It’s a pretty funny story, and one he revealed to Alan Horton, the radio voice of the Timberwolves. Jimmy was vacationing in Europe last week while trade rumors around his name heated up approaching the NBA draft. Was he paying attention to those rumors? Nope, Jimmy was too busy having fun. He met up with his then-teammate Dwyane Wade, Wade’s wife Gabrielle Union and fellow NBA star Carmelo Anthony in Paris. As the four of them were sitting around a table playing cards, Jimmy got a call from his new agent Bernie Lee.
“I was very much aware of all the trade rumors, but my name was in so many different situations with different teams that I didn’t pay it any mind. Until my agent, Bernie Lee, decided to call me. I was playing spades, Carmelo was my partner. We was beating up on D Wade and Gab. And [Lee] broke the great news to me that I was now a Minnesota Timberwolf. I’m happy with that, and that is exactly how it happened. And we won in spades that night, so it was a win-win all the way around.” – Jimmy Butler
It’s well known that playing spades is one of Wade’s favorite non-basketball activities. He and Union even hosts parties for NBA friends and other celebrities centered around spades tournaments. Sounds like he’s gotten his Marquette brother Jimmy in on the fun. But with this trade to Minnesota, it looks like Wade and Jimmy’s on-court partnership wasn’t meant to last.
Still, you wonder just how close Jimmy is to cracking into the famous “Banana Boat” crew. He’s joining Wade and Carmelo on European vacations. Were the reports of LeBron James luring Butler to Cleveland true? Maybe not. But at least, for Jimmy’s sake, he has a great story for the rest of his life.
“The night I got traded? Oh, yeah. I was just hanging out in Paris, playing cards with D Wade, Gab and Melo. Fun night. Melo and I won.”
You can watch Butler’s full interview with Alan Horton below:
.@WolvesRadio sat down with Jimmy Butler to talk about his transition to Minnesota and his goals for the upcoming season. #NewEraNewLook pic.twitter.com/fReklBdHrh
— Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) June 29, 2017
Minnesota has already embraced Jimmy. As for the Bulls? Free agency begins in just a few days, but don’t expect much to happen there. Fred Hoiberg and his bosses are more concerned with the player evaluation and development process to begin this rebuild. Summer League games start soon. Let’s hope some of these young guys make a good first impression.
