No ducking this one: Butler set for first Target Center appearance since 2021

Game 1 will mark more than 1,250 days since Butler last played in Minneapolis.

Nov 24, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Anthony Edwards (1) exchange some actions before each receiving a technical foul in the third quarter as referee Andy Nagy (83) and forward Caleb Martin (16) step in at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

There are an inordinate number of storylines heading into the Timberwolves' series against the Warriors, but none might carry more weight than Jimmy Butler's long-awaited return to the Target Center. If relieved of general soreness, Game 1 will be his first time playing in Minneapolis since November 24, 2021.

Butler played 69 regular-season games in a Wolves uniform, but his exit was a messy one. Between his notorious practice where he admitted to verbally accosting Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, followed by his trade demand, he did not leave Minnesota on good terms.

After he was traded to the 76ers, he faced the Timberwolves twice, once at Target Center. Since that first meeting in 2019, he played against Minnesota five times when he was with the Heat, and only two of those games were in Minneapolis.

Related: Dates, tip times, TV info revealed for most of Wolves-Warriors playoff series

Butler joined the Heat before the 2019-20 season, and Miami faced the Wolves 11 times when he was with the franchise. Due to a multitude of reasons, he missed six of those matchups. In the three games he has played at Target Center since leaving Minnesota, he has averaged 19.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists.

Butler was dealt to the Warriors before this year's trade deadline, and this will be his first opportunity to face Minnesota in a Golden State uniform. Tuesday night will mark 1,259 days since he last played in an NBA game at Target Center — and it's fair highly probable that he'll be greeted with a chorus of boos.

Butler was conveniently out of the lineup each of the last six times Minnesota played Miami in the regular season, but there's no ducking this one. Game 1 might be one of the most hostile environments in the history of Target Center, and Butler's return will be a big reason why.