Jimmy Butler Thinks He Handled Timberwolves Situation the Correct Way

Philadelphia 76ers star Jimmy Butler has no regrets about the way he engineered his exit from the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Butler opened up about his departure in an interview with GQ's Clay Skipper. The four-time All-Star defended the circumstances leading to his trade to the Sixers:

"I think I did everything the correct way. I really think I did. For one, I didn't really go into the media and say anything out of the norm. I didn't even talk to the media. Me and [ESPN's Rachel Nichols] had that interview set up three weeks beforehand. And I don't even want to get into the whole thing. But nobody would have ever known what was said in practice, or none of that, if somebody wouldn't have told the media. I didn't tell the media."

Without going into specifics, Butler also explained how he became dissatisfied in Minnesota:

"Let's just say: there are some things that could've happened, that we both talked about, and at the end of the day, I felt like I was told one thing and something else happened. I'll leave it at that. I'm not going to get into too much detail about it because I still got a lot of respect for a lot of people in their organization, as everybody knows."

There's no question Butler's strategy was ultimately successful. He got his wish. Not only did the Timberwolves trade him, but he also joined a team that should contend for an NBA title within the next few years.

However, he didn't exactly have a clean break with the Wolves.

Upon returning to practice in October, he cursed out general manager Scott Layden, telling Layden, "You f--king need me, Scott. You can't win without me," per ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, Butler also targeted then-teammates Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, calling them "soft."

It got to the point where some of Butler's NBA colleagues supported him publicly, thus indirectly throwing shade toward Towns and Wiggins.

Butler proceeded to suit up for the Timberwolves in their 112-108 season-opening loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 17. Fans at Target Center booed Butler only to begin cheering him toward the end when he made his home return in a 131-123 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 19.

The Timberwolves finally traded him in November, bringing the saga to an end.

Although Butler believes he acted correctly, others will surely disagree. The Timberwolves devolved into one of the NBA's dysfunctional teams, and a once bright future in Minnesota looks anything but.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau's hot seat isn't cooling off as the team sits third from the bottom in the Western Conference, and big questions have arisen regarding the viability of Towns and Wiggins as the foundation of a championship contender.

But none of that is Butler's concern anymore as he attempts to help the Sixers take the next step in their quest for a title.