SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Jimmy Butler was back in the Timberwolves' lineup on Friday against the Kings, the third consecutive game he has played since he last took a night off for precautionary rest.
When Butler has played, he has played well. But there is risk every moment he is on the floor. If Butler were to get injured, it could decrease the return the Wolves might fetch when they consummate a trade for him, as owner Glen Taylor had promised Butler he will.
So to try to mitigate some of that risk, Butler has been taking occasional games off for precautionary rest, and a source told the Star Tribune on Friday the Wolves and Butler had agreed on 32 minutes as a standard limit for when Butler does play.
Butler is averaging 35.6 minutes per game and coach Tom Thibodeau said a 35-minute limit is "about what we had talked about."
"We have some parameters," Thibodeau said before Friday's game. "If he's had some rest in between he'll play a little bit more. There's some games he's going to play less."
Butler and Thibodeau aren't afraid to blow past the minutes limit, however.
Thibodeau would like Butler playing as much as possible, and Butler's competitive juices take over in a game and he doesn't want to come out, the source said.
That's how nights like Wednesday occur, when Butler played more than 43 minutes in a loss to the Lakers. Butler has exceeded 32 minutes in eight of the 10 games he has played. He played 41 Friday.
