Why is Jimmy Butler going to sit out for the Timberwolves on Wednesday against Utah? Is Butler going to play in Friday’s game at Golden State? Are the Wolves any closer to trading the recalcitrant All-Star?

Two days after Butler scored 32 points in a victory over LeBron James and the Lakers at Target Center, the soap opera-like situation that has surrounded Butler for the past six weeks proved to be alive and well when The Athletic and ESPN offered reports on the Butler situation.

The first involved the fact that Butler will not play Wednesday night against the Jazz because of what coach Tom Thibodeau called “general soreness and precautionary rest.” Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reported the real reason is because Butler is taking the next step to getting out of Minnesota by sitting and that this could lead to an extended absence for him. The reported cited NBA sources.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN later reported that Butler has expressed an intention to join the Wolves on their trip to Golden State for Friday night’s game.

Butler, who is in the final season of his contract and demanded a trade in mid-September, has made it clear he has no interest in remaining in Minnesota and doesn’t want to play with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. He skipped most of training camp and melted down on teammates and coaches when he did return for a practice.

Wednesday’s game will be the second that Butler has sat out this season. He also did not play in the second game of the season in Dallas and then nearly missed last Friday’s game against Milwaukee because of what the team called an illness. He scored four points in 24 minutes of a 125-95 loss to the Bucks at Target Center before rebounding for a big performance on Tuesday.

Butler agreed to play for the Wolves just before the regular season after owner Glen Taylor assured him that the team would continue to try to honor his trade request. However, there is no evidence that Thibodeau, who also is the Wolves’ president of basketball operations and acquired Butler in June 2017, has any intention of trading the veteran.

Thibodeau knows that if he deals Butler and the Wolves’ inevitably take a step backward, that he is likely to lose his job. Last week, the Houston Rockets reportedly offered four first-round picks for Butler, but The Athletic reported the Wolves were reluctant to accept that trade because they did not want to take on Brandon Knight as part of the package to make the deal work from a financial perspective.

Miami and Philadelphia also have interest in Butler, but ESPN reported there’s a collective belief that Thibodeau isn’t of a mindset to seriously negotiate a trade yet. What’s interesting is that Taylor said entering the season that Wolves general manager Scott Layden would be the point man on a Butler deal because Thibodeau’s focus would be on coaching.

Butler’s frustration with the Wolves’ slow process in moving him is clear. ESPN reported that Butler has expressed to associates that he plans to play Friday against the Warriors and that there’s a belief he could target specific games (not high-profile ones) to sit out in trying to force a trade.

Butler told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that his “body is hurting.” Here’s what Butler told Nichols.

Related listening:

Dane Moore and Manny Hill discuss the Wolves on this Raised By Wolves podcast.

-How the Jimmy Butler situation continues to overshadow everything that is going on with the team.

-Is Tom Thibodeau’s system and coaching style the right fit for everyone?

-Where is this headed?

-Rookie Josh Okogie’s early performance.