As the Bulls battle Miami, Indiana and Detroit for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, most fans have at least one eye on the upcoming summer months. For a team in desperate need of change to get out their NBA purgatory rut, there is an expectation and demand for big moves to be made. None more jarring than the potential trade of three-time All Star Jimmy Butler.
Butler has repeatedly expressed his desire to stay in Chicago and lead the Bulls back to championship glory. But as the roster is currently constructed, he doesn't have much help and championship contention feels light years away. Perhaps it would be in the front office's best interest to trade Butler - a star in his prime - for younger talent and draft picks to help shape a new era in Chicago. It's something Gar Forman and John Paxson won't just do for the sake of doing it. They've made it very clear they'll only trade Butler if the package they receive is of equal or greater value.
That's their story now, anyway. If Bulls brass finally sees the writing on the wall, they may ease up on their demand for a king's ransom to part with Butler. At least one front office executive believes Jimmy's departure from Chicago this summer is already a sure thing.
The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor released a column earlier today touching on a number of NBA storylines for the summer of 2017. Among them, he cites an NBA front office executive as a source for the following statement:
"Paul George and Jimmy Butler were involved in trade rumors at the deadline, and all indications are that those conversations will resume this offseason. One front-office source told me recently that Butler is 'as good as gone,' while George sounds like a player who wants out." - Kevin O'ConnorAs good as gone. Given the way Paxson and Forman spoke about the weak offers they heard for Butler at the trade deadline last month, it's hard to believe they'll deal him for scraps. Knowing that fans are already upset with their recent "decisions" - and seeing how Kings fans reacted to the DeMarcus Cousins trade - GarPax won't risk losing Butler and losing the trade that sends him away. Or, according to one NBA executive, maybe they will. It will likely come down to who owns the first pick in the 2017 draft. If Boston gets it, those ongoing talks between Danny Ainge and GarPax will likely resume. A negotiation has to start somewhere, and it's hard to see the Bulls letting Butler go without getting a guarantee to take their pick from a stocked draft class. While Butler and his teammates try to fight their way into playoff contention, his bosses could be playing out ideal scenarios for his Chicago exit.
