Karl-Anthony Towns should be happy to see the back of Jimmy Butler following the star's trade to the Philadelphia 76ers. But he was full of praise for his soon-to-be former teammate, with the saga finally over.

The Minnesota Timberwolves came to a trade agreement with the Sixers on Saturday and will receive Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless and a second-round pick in exchange for Butler and Justin Patton.

There was some friction between Towns and Butler, although they have both downplayed the issues recently. And the center has told ESPN that the 29-year-old will be missed.

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"He's one hell of a player," Towns said on Sunday. "I don't know how many Jimmy Butlers there are in the world, so I think he'll be missed."

The Timberwolves were all together on a flight returning from Sacramento when Butler and Patton found out they had been traded. And Taj Gibson, who was sitting across from Butler, admitted the news came as a shock despite the trade request being the league's worst-kept secret this season.

Gibson also claimed to feel a bit sorry for Butler.

"No matter what, even if you want to ask for a trade, when you finally get traded it's kind of a weird feeling," he said. "That is the moment I felt for him."

Andrew Wiggins, another player who is believed to have been at odds with Butler, admitted he learned a lot from the Philly-bound shooting guard.

"I learned a lot of things from him," the 23-year-old remarked. "We made the playoffs, something we haven't done in a long, long time. So I think it was a positive either way you put it."

The T-wolves look to be in a better position to win games with the distraction of Butler gone, coupled with the players they've received in exchange, and Derrick Rose says they have no excuses now.

"We have a new start," Rose declared. "There's no excuses."

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