Whispers about Butler joining forces with free-agent-to-be and USA Basketball friend Kyrie Irving in 2019 have persisted since before the Bulls traded Butler to Thibodeau and the Timberwolves in June 2017. So while Thibodeau’s typical approach of trying to win as many games as possible and thus appeal to Butler’s championship desires may be the short-term plan, that may not work over the long haul.