Aaron Gash/Associated Press
Jimmy Butler knows what’s coming on Saturday night in Minneapolis. He understands, relishes and even encourages the looming prospect of the chilliest welcome any visiting N.B.A. player is bound to receive this season.
“They’re going to boo me,” Butler said of the Minnesota fans who watched him force his way out of town via a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers in November — months after Butler led the woebegone Timberwolves to their first playoff berth in 14 seasons.
“I would boo me, too. I’m not going to lie to you.”
Now a key member of what is widely regarded as the most potent starting lineup on the N.