Chicago Bulls Rumors: Jimmy Butler Trade Talks Open, Bulls Could Make Deal If Offer Is Right
Chicago Bulls rumors reveal that a Jimmy Butler trade could actually happen. These Bulls rumors seem to provide a confirmation that Butler is available in the trade market, even though it would take a lot to pry him out of Chicago. A new report suggests Butler as a great candidate for the L.A. Lakers to acquire during the 2016 NBA offseason. While the Lakers might not be able to afford Butler this year, it does raise some interesting questions about what it would take for a Chicago Bulls trade to take place.
It has been brought up again that the L.A. Lakers could potentially offer a top three pick in the 2016 NBA Draft as a way to acquire a star player like Jimmy Butler or Paul George. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Lakers were rumored to be prepping an offer to the Indiana Pacers for George. At the center of that proposal would have been the lottery pick, but it may also have required either D’Angelo Russell or Julius Randle to be included. Butler could be equally expensive in a deal.
During the 2015-16 NBA season, Jimmy Butler averaged 20.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He shot 45.5 percent from the field and 83.2 percent from the free throw line, ranking among the best shooting guards in the NBA. This was the second-straight season that Butler was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team as well. Despite all that, the Bulls failed to make it into the NBA Playoffs, putting the team in a position to possibly rebuild during the offseason.
So could these Chicago Bulls rumors actually lead to the team making a move during the NBA offseason? With so many NBA analysts and experts stating that the Bulls are, at the very least, placing Jimmy Butler on the open market, the possibility seems very real that he could get moved before the beginning of the 2016-17 NBA season. It all comes down to another franchise offering a deal that “wows” the front office in Chicago and convinces ownership that it is time to move in another direction.
The Bulls have definitely failed to live up to the expectations that fans placed upon the team when Derrick Rose won the NBA MVP. The team was supposed to contend for NBA titles, but instead has been struggling to even make the postseason. After failing to make the playoffs with a core of Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, and Pau Gasol, the time may have finally arrived for the front office to break down the current roster. This could make dealing Butler a move geared to help the long-term outlook of the franchise.
As for how a Jimmy Butler trade would look, the contract he signed with the Chicago Bulls is very team friendly. He is under team control for the next three NBA seasons, with a player option of about $19.9 million for the 2019-20 NBA season. Butler is slated to make about $16.4 million next year, about $17.6 million the following season, and then about $18.7 million for the 2018-19 NBA season. He is also just 26-years-old, so Butler may not have hit his peak in the league just yet.
There are going to be a lot of Bulls fans frustrated if news about negotiations with another team start to become front page news in Chicago. Jimmy Butler has become a fan-favorite for what he is doing on the court and it would certainly hurt the roster in the short-term to lose him on offense and defense. If Chicago Bulls rumors surface that includes dealing Derrick Rose and Butler in the same trade, it might be something that the front office has to seriously consider in order to rebuild the entire roster.
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