Jim Mone/Associated Press

As the Minnesota Timberwolves prepare for the 2018-19 season, head coach Tom Thibodeau is being put under a microscope.

Per ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski, team owner Glen Taylor has "significant concern with the broader franchise culture" under the guidance of Thibodeau and general manager Scott Layden, and that he considered making changes over the summer.

"Taylor has privately second-guessed his decision to give Thibodeau full control of basketball operations as a part of hiring him as coach, league sources said," Wojnarowski wrote.

The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski reported Saturday that Thibodeau and Layden will meet with Jimmy Butler on Monday for "honest conversations" about the four-time All-Star's future in Minnesota.

Wojnarowski added that meeting is "expected to set the tone" for how Butler goes about the season before he can opt out of his contract next summer.

There have been multiple reports about discontent among Timberwolves players. During a May episode of The Lowe Post podcast, ESPN.com's Zach Lowe reported the team and star center Karl-Anthony Towns are "not in a good place internally."

Per Sean Deveney of the Sporting News, Butler was frustrated about playing with Andrew Wiggins because of Wiggins' "work ethic and his approach on the defensive end of the floor."



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According to Wojnarowski, the stakes for Thibodeau's future are high right now because of the locker room tension and a poor relationship on the business side with the basketball operations department.

Thibodeau was hired as Minnesota's head coach and team president in April 2016. He has a 78-86 record in his first two seasons with the club and led the Timberwolves to the playoffs in 2017-18.