Kevin Garnett spent 14 of his 21 NBA years with the Minnesota Timberwolves and is therefore still associated with the team. KG has now told The Athletic about the latest events at the Wolves around Jimmy Butler.
“It’s a shitstorm there,” Garnett said, expressing hope that the team and the dissatisfied butler who recently called for a trade will soon come to an agreement. However, he sees criticisms of both Butler and the franchise.
“I think both sides are a little delusional,” said Garnett. “Jimmy thinks he’s more valuable than he really is. He’s a very good player, but I don’t see him on a level like Kevin Durant or LeBron James. I don’t know if he has the power to just demand a trade like that. He can mess things up, but I don’t know if he really has that much influence.”
Butler’s most recent appearance at Wolves Training, when he attacked players and team officials alike, was an opportunity for KG to identify himself: “Do you think I wouldn’t have gone crazy sometimes? I was a Tasmanian devil,” says Garnett. “I’ve insulted Kevin McHale, and Flip Saunders. But that was all just to motivate us.”
The biggest difference to his situation at that time was the media presence of the quarrels, according to the MVP of 2004: “Nobody is able to leave the shit at the training. Everything that happens there should stay there. Today everything is being held so damn publicly,” said Garnett.