As Tom Thibodeau's plan disintegrated, owner Glen Taylor lost his last remnants of belief in this crumbling regime. Taylor had delivered Thibodeau a long and rich contract as the Minnesota Timberwolves president and coach, control of basketball operations and the trust to be a steward of a franchise forever in disrepair.
Taylor's judgment has been perpetually suspect, from a secret Joe Smith deal that cost Minnesota draft picks to wasting Kevin Garnett's prime to the David Kahn catastrophe. In getting things wrong, Taylor has been spectacular in his mishaps.
In the end, Taylor didn't sign off on a Jimmy Butler trade as much as he surrendered to one of the most embarrassing episodes in franchise history.