After All That, Jimmy Butler Is Ready To Play For The Timberwolves Tonight

Jimmy Butler went about trying to launch himself off the team he no longer wants to play for about as loudly and obnoxiously as possible. There was the trade demand, followed by the staged and vindictive practice, followed by post-practice shit-talking on national TV. Despite all that, the Minnesota Timberwolves are set to open their season tonight with Butler in the starting lineup.

On Tuesday, T-Wolves owner Glen Taylor acknowledged that the team is actively working to trade Butler, but in the meantime expects him to a “regular team player.” Continuing to play while waiting for a trade to materialize is something pro athletes have to do all the time, but most of the time those athletes aren’t suiting up with teammates they’ve spent the last few weeks trashing in public. Tonight might be a little weird for the rest of the Timberwolves.

It probably won’t be weird for Butler, because he seems to be impervious to feeling even the slightest twinge of shame. He already said he would relish being booed by the home fans, and today he posted this on Instagram:

If Jimmy Butler wasn’t a professional athlete, he’d be the guy posting, “ugh bro im so sick of all this drama zzzzzz,” on Facebook the morning after getting all of his friends kicked out of a bar for starting a fight with a bouncer.