The last time Jimmy Butler played at Target Center he scored 32 points and hit a season-high six 3-pointers in a Timberwolves win over the Lakers.
That was exactly five months ago on October 29. Ten days later he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, who make their lone trip to Minneapolis this season for a date with the lottery-bound Wolves on Saturday night.
The Nov. 10 trade that sent Butler to Philly ended a rocky summer and fall that featured numerous stories of Butler allegedly calling out teammates, namely Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins; it came after he missed the majority of preseason with an injury, leading to a trade request that drew boos from Minnesota fans in the season opener and several missed games attributed to “general soreness.”
All of it was ugly, and there’s no doubt fans will relish the moments to boo Butler again when he’s wearing a 76ers uniform on Saturday night.
“They’re going to boo me,” Butler told the New York Times in anticipation of his return to Minnesota. “I would boo me, too. I’m not going to lie to you.”
Butler went further, saying he might join the fans and boo himself just for the heck of it.
Butler and the 76ers (48-27) will likely finish as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, setting them up for a potential lengthy playoff run. The Wolves, meanwhile, won’t make the playoffs for the 14th time in the last 15 years, the lone exception being last year with Butler leading the way.
If you’d like to see Butler cry a little, check out this video of him eating hot wings. It’s quite good and very entertaining.
