NBA Trade Rumors Heat Up For Chicago Bulls’ Jimmy Butler, But Do Not Expect A Deal


The Chicago Bulls are a magnet for turmoil. Despite being in the NBA trade rumor mill seemingly every week, Jimmy Butler is one player the Bulls likely will not trade. That will not stop the NBA trade rumors involving the Bulls from stopping.

Once the Bleacher Report story by Ric Bucher came out about how the Chicago Bulls have reconvened taking calls from teams interested in Jimmy Butler, the floodgates have opened up. Several teams have been listed as possible destinations for Butler, as the Bulls field calls to gauge his market.

Whether or not it is a smart strategy for Bulls to dangle Jimmy Butler remains to be seen. While it is always great for a team to know what their player is worth on the trade market, it can be a damaging proposition to test those waters. Angering the best player can ruin the overall chemistry of the team.

Players can rally against management on that player’s behalf. Even worse, they can begin to wonder what will happen with their own careers. Could they wind up on another team as well?

Jimmy Butler’s continuation of his ascension in the NBA ranks should make him an untouchable player on the Chicago Bulls’ roster. This is despite the constant NBA trade rumors the wing player has been involved in. [Image by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images]

Rare as it is that a team such as the Chicago Bulls would truthfully consider trading a player of Jimmy Butler’s ilk, anything is possible. People who are fans of the Chicago Bulls and Jimmy Butler should be able to rest easy — the superstar wing player is not going anywhere.

That is unless Tom Thibodeau and the Minnesota Timberwolves come calling and looking to offer Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine, which is not happening. And there are a few other NBA trade offers that would be comparable to that. Most of them may not be enough to pry Jimmy Butler away from the Chicago Bulls.

It must be understood that Butler is one of the top 10 players in the NBA. What can the Bulls get in return for a top 10 player?

Although it might sound facetious, Jimmy Butler’s trade market value is close to the equivalent of the four best players on the eight-win Brooklyn Nets. Hypothetically, if the Nets wanted to put together a trade offer for the Chicago Bulls, getting back their entire starting five may not be enough to close a deal.

Any NBA team that talks to the Chicago Bulls about Butler will have to offer a top 20 player, an electrifying scorer, and a group of top draft picks. And even that may not be enough to convince the Bulls to trade him. To their credit, the Bulls have twice denied the NBA trade rumors about them making Butler available.

The first time the Bulls doused the flames on a possible Jimmy Butler trade was in November. Gar Forman, the usually quiet general manager of the Bulls, addressed the media (courtesy of Fox Sports) about his superstar.

A second denial came from the Chicago Bulls’ second superstar, Dwyane Wade. Wade was able to put the NBA trade rumors surrounding his friend and teammate in a proper perspective (courtesy of WGN-TV).

“James Harden don’t have a price. Russell Westbrook don’t have a price. LeBron James don’t have a price. Steph Curry don’t have a – like there are certain guys obviously, at this point that, at this moment – they don’t have a price. At some point, everybody has got a price. Dwyane Wade is going to have a price at one point. I had a price.”

Wade was asked about Jimmy Butler and his value to the Chicago Bulls and if he had a price.

“In my mind he [Jimmy Butler] doesn’t. I think he’s the cornerstone of this franchise. That’s the reason I’m here. That’s the reason we’re winning games.”

NBA teams rarely trade their franchise cornerstones. It usually only happens when those players demand for a trade to take place. Even then, it takes a long time before anything gets done.

The Chicago Bulls are not trading Jimmy Butler.

[Featured Image by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images]

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