A front office executive of an Eastern Conference team is paying close attention to the Jimmy Butler situation of the Minnesota Timberwolves but suggests mortgaging the club’s future to acquire Butler may not be worth it in the long run.

It has been reported that Butler has requested a trade from the Timberwolves. If he gets his wish, it will be Butler’s third team in three years.

One Eastern Conference FO exec. today via text: "We watch with great interest but ultimately it comes down to not effing up the future – at what cost is it worth it?" #Twolves https://t.co/AhbYIhJd0o — Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) September 20, 2018

No one doubts Jimmy Butler’s talent. He’s a four-time All-Star, one of the best two-way players in the league, and has averaged at least 20 points per game four years in a row. It’s Jimmy Butler the person, however, that causes teams to be skeptical about adding him.

Butler is not an easy guy to get along with, and the Texas native once again had issues with his teammates last season. Butler didn’t like Andrew Wiggins’ work ethic and approach on defense, and was fed up with the nonchalant attitude of Karl-Anthony Towns.

When he was with the Chicago Bulls, Butler had reported beefs with former MVP Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Rajon Rondo, and coach Fred Hoiberg. Butler even called out Hoiberg through the Chicago media, telling reporters, “Coach needs to coach us harder.”

When the Timberwolves acquired Butler, the prevailing thought was head coach/president Tom Thibodeau would be able to keep him in check. After all, Butler and Thibodeau have a close relationship, and the former always credits the latter for helping him become the player he is today.

Turns out, not even Thibodeau can keep Butler under control, so teams might be weary of bringing Butler into their locker room.

The former Marquette standout recently turned 29. He’s got a lot of mileage on his body and hasn’t played in all 82 regular season games since the 2012-13 season. The 2014-15 Most Improved Player of the Year wants to sign a max contract extension with a big market team.

Former NBA sharpshooter Tim Legler, now a basketball analyst, said Wednesday that while Butler is a great player, if he’s the best player on a team, that team won’t compete for a championship.

Jimmy Butler may be on the move soon but @LegsESPN has a warning for #Knicks #Clippers and #Nets fans. pic.twitter.com/bXOgNnVWJ5 — SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 19, 2018

Strong words, indeed. But amid all the perception on Butler, it’s worth noting that he’s one of the hardest workers in the NBA. So much so that his tenacity has often rubbed people the wrong way.