Old Teammates Won’t Let Jimmy Butler Move On

Jimmy Butler seems to be living his best life of late.

He got paid this offseason, and traded to the city where he wanted to play.

He is a new father — of a baby girl.

And he with a team and teammates he clearly likes.

When you are no longer freezing in Philadelphia or Minnesota pic.twitter.com/VrvwmVNfzr

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) October 30, 2019

But others in the NBA won’t let the man be.

Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns, two of the game’s elite bigs — and each problematic for his own reasons — got in a skirmish Wednesday in the game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

EMBIID VS. TOWNS RING THE DAMN BELL pic.twitter.com/Y7glrNEA8x

— Sherwob Holmes (@WorldWideWob) October 31, 2019

These days, what isn’t settled in person spills over into social media.

So it did.

I aIN’t nO BiTcH

RaiSeD ARoUnD LiOnS

🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢
🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡#BitchTalk pic.twitter.com/5ujFmRXh9Q

— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) October 31, 2019

And Embiid, well, he can’t leave anything alone, except the Eastern Conference Finals. He and Butler were on good terms in Philadelphia last season as teammates — Butler roundly praised Embiid a month ago during Heat training camp.

Jimmy Butler is still showing high praise for Joel Embiid 🔥💪🏾

(🎥: @EthanJSkolnick)

pic.twitter.com/SRcVNJAFag

— Ball Realm (@TheBallRealm) October 4, 2019

Butler was never as glowing about Towns, with the fraying of that relationship playing into his desire to leave the Timberwolves — that set up his brief partnership with Embiid in Philadelphia. Embiid apparently knows the history. Quite well.

.⁦@JoelEmbiid⁩ Now Has ⁦@JimmyButler⁩ Involved With A Fantastic Instagram Troll https://t.co/IInXp4rBxT

— Branded Sports (@branded_sports) October 31, 2019

The “3rd stringers” is a reference to Butler, during his self-imposed sabbatical in Minnesota, supposedly teaming up with 3rd stringers in practice and routing the Wolves’ starters, including Towns, in practice. You’ll remember Woj giving Jimmy something akin to Paul Bunyan status for this.

So, with two of his ex’s squabbling, will Butler leave this alone?

Jimmy Butler watching the Joel Embiid/Karl-Anthony Towns fight like… pic.twitter.com/iTXtrmKU49

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) October 31, 2019

The answer, naturally, is no.

Butler chimed in on Embiid’s Instagram post.

Jimmy Butler weighs in pic.twitter.com/XFdt493Ss2

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) October 31, 2019

So this won’t be the last of it.

Butler will be asked, probably prior to Thursday’s Miami Heat game in Atlanta. And you can be sure, he’ll answer. It would be fun if he just buried both of them.