Are the Bulls trading Jimmy Butler? On Thursday,
news dropped from
Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher that Chicago's front office is putting their franchise player back on the trading market. My sources,
along with those of Sean Highkin from
The Athletic, refuted that notion soon after Bucher's post went viral. But let's pretend for now that Gar Forman and John Paxson
are considering this option, or at least would be willing to take phone calls and hear offers.
What's the best move for GarPax to make? Is trading away their star in order to fully commit to a rebuild the best course of action? Or should they continue to "retool" (their word) but keep Butler and build the roster around him? That's the huge decision facing the Bulls front office right now, and they better not screw it up. If their boss were anyone other than the lifeless and ambivalent owner Jerry Reinsdorf, GarPax would be out of second chances already. If they flub this one, it just might earn them their first strike in the "three strikes and maybe I'll start paying attention" system Reinsdorf appears to be using.
So, let's do GarPax a favor. Let's make a pros and cons list for trading Jimmy Butler.
Pro #1: Actually Commit To Something
Forman and Paxson have deservedly received tons of criticism for their flip-floppy decisions in recent seasons. Did they make a mistake in firing Tom Thibodeau, one of the winningest coaches in NBA history? Did they foolishly shortcut their way to the hiring of their pet Fred Hoiberg, instead of conducting a legitimate search for Thibodeau's replacement? Why did they hand-pick Fred for his offensive system only to give him rosters incapable of playing his style? Why did they sign Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade mere days after pledging to make the roster "younger and more athletic" following a 42-40 season that could only be described as a disastrous underachievement?
...Are you getting sick of my rhetorical questions yet? Good. You should be. I did so to make my first argument in the case for trading Jimmy Butler.
If GarPax made this move, it would at the very least be a clear-cut sign to Bulls fans that the rebuild is on. For real this time. They've postponed a necessary rebuild for too long, and are stuck in the hell of NBA mediocrity. The quick fix attempts of Pau Gasol, Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade may have kept the Bulls relevant in the media, but not on the court.
Giving up Butler for a haul of young talent and draft picks would signify the beginning of a true rebuild, finally. While they're at it, they could trade Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez too. Stockpile youth and picks, and give Cristiano Felicio and Bobby Portis more minutes to develop in the back half of a lost season. GarPax haven't shown us any plans that firm and decisive in recent memory. At least that would be something.
Speaking of that haul of young talent...
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Pro #2: Butler's Value Is Peaking
Butler is coming off of back-to-back All Star seasons, and is playing at the highest level of his career. He currently ranks
10th in the NBA in scoring (25.2 ppg), 4th in free throw attempts (9.5) and 14th in free throw percentage (88%). His player efficiency rating
(PER) of 26.31 is 11th in the league, just 0.19 points shy of LeBron James. When it comes to individuals delivering wins for their team, he's among the league's elite. Butler's 10.4 estimated wins added (EWA) is matched or bested by only Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. He's
6th in real plus-minus (6.27). On the defensive end his
1.6 defensive win shares rank inside the top 20, and his
1.72 steals per game are 9th most in the league.
All those fancy numbers together make one clear point: Jimmy is a bona fide All Star who's now bordering on superstar status. At age 27, he still has several years of prime seasons ahead of him. Butler's market value and the expected return in a trade will never be higher than it is right now. Especially with some of his recent Herculean performances (
52 points vs Charlotte,
40 points and a buzzer beater vs Brooklyn) Butler is becoming known as a clutch guy who can single-handedly take over games in the 4th quarter. That's a rare quality in the league; one that many teams don't have and want desperately.
Given the fact that Butler is now a hot commodity, the Bulls would likely have many suitors if they made it known he's available for the right price. That leads us to the next "pro" on our list.
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Pro #3: Take Your Pick
Over the last two seasons, many teams have reportedly expressed interest in Butler. On draft night last year, the Bulls were in talks with the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves regarding a Butler trade. Philadelphia and the L.A. Lakers have also been rumored to want Butler to lead their young cores. If GarPax want to pull the trigger and trade away their best player, they would likely get to hear lots of different offers and pick the one they like best.
Boston
Celtics boss Danny Ainge has been desperately trying to acquire a legitimate star to lead his young and talented team into the upper echelon of contenders in the East. He landed veteran big man Al Horford last summer, but he alone isn't enough to knock off Cleveland. If Ainge were to offer some combination of Avery Bradley, rookie Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and a first round draft pick, the Bulls just might go for it. Remember, GarPax's asking price for Butler last spring was a
starter, a rotation player and two first round picks. Back then, Ainge thought that was too much. With Jimmy's ascension to superstar status, might he rethink things this time around?
Minnesota
Tom Thibodeau would surely love to get his old defensive workhorse onto his young and defensively challenged Timberwolves team. During draft night talks last year, the Bulls wanted Zach LaVine but Thibs said the rising star was off limits. I'd be surprised if that has changed, since LaVine is rounding into an even deadlier scoring threat this season. Karl-Anthony Towns is obviously off limits. Would Thibs be willing to give up Andrew Wiggins, rookie Kris Dunn (whom the Bulls wanted badly) and a high pick for Butler? Maybe.
Philly
If GarPax want to finally give Hoiberg the roster he needs, it might serve them all well to negotiate with the 76ers. The Philadelphia frontcourt is an overcrowded mess. Head coach
Brett Brown recently told the media he's gotten a good look at the Joel Embiid-Jahlil Okafor duo, and will now experiment with Embiid paired with Nerlens Noel. The
Bulls are high on Noel, and Okafor played his high school ball in Chicago. Embiid looks to be off limits, but Noel or Okafor could serve as the big man that Hoiberg pairs with 4 shooters on the floor, as was his system at Iowa State. If Philly adds power forward Dario Saric and a first round pick to the deal, that's a nice haul for Butler.
All of these hypothetical options would mean fully committing to the rebuild, which might frustrate those fans with little patience. But they
are exactly that:
options. If you're going to sell your best player in the prime of his career, you can expect to hear several offers and take your pick of the litter.
Now, what's the downside of trading away Jimmy Butler?
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Con #1: He's Jimmy Freaking Butler
This is the only item needed on the con list, though I will expand upon it to make things clearer.
Other Ways To Add Youth & Picks
The Bulls can still shed other veterans on the roster in other trades to bring in more young pieces or draft picks to put around Butler. Taj Gibson's value is at an all-time high, and he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. Trade him as a half-season loaner to a contending team in need of some rim protection and offensive rebounding. The same can be said about Robin Lopez. I'd also suggest that GarPax test the market for Wade, but I don't think it's at all likely. Too much was made of his Chicago homecoming, and they have too much respect for him to ditch him midseason. And from a practical standpoint, his contract at his age isn't likely to attract many buyers.
The bottom line is teams go through the rebuilding process, ideally, to land franchise-changing players at the top of the lottery. Draft a player with superstar potential and build around them. But here's the thing: the Bulls already
have a superstar in Butler. At 27, he still has at least 6 great seasons left in him. If GarPax had stuck to the plan and acquired young, athletic shooters last offseason instead of spending money on Wade and Rondo, they'd be well on their way to "retooling" the Bulls into a contender.
Let Butler Dominate
Just look at what the Bulls have accomplished in recent games without the services of the other two "alphas." As Stephen Noh of
The Athletic beautifully illustrated in
his recent column, Hoiberg's offense is running much more smoothly now that Butler is sharing the floor with shooters. In their win over Cleveland, for example, Fred used Doug McDermott to finish the 4th quarter instead of Wade. Because McDermott and Nikola Mirotic were hitting their shots Wednesday night, the Cavs couldn't cheat on defense to double team Butler. With Doug and Niko drawing eyes around the perimeter, Jimmy had tons of space to operate. As a result, Butler scored 14 of his 20 points in the 4th to secure a Bulls victory. Where was Rondo? That's right, on the bench.
It's working for James Harden and the Houston Rockets. It works for LeBron James and the Cavs. Put a bunch of three point shooters around a ball-dominant superstar wing player. The Bulls could do this with Butler and a young supporting cast, if only GarPax gave Fred the right pieces. That's still a possibility.
Basically Free
As a final note in the "con" column, let's remember the
contract Jimmy is playing on right now. Butler signed his 5 year max deal the season before the new and insanely high NBA salary cap kicked in. Compared to other quasi-stars who just signed new deals, the next two seasons of Butler's contract are an absolute steal for the Bulls. He
does have a player option before the 2019-20 season, but cross that bridge when you get to it. For now, GarPax should keep this great value in their pocket and
actually try to build around him. Enough with the stop-gaps and overpaying veterans with declining skills. Butler is the best piece Chicago has, and one of the best pieces in the league. Keep him. Give him and Hoiberg some complimentary guys that fit his skillset and Hoiberg's system.
I know it's a lot to ask. If GarPax can't get this right, they need to go away forever. Fortunately, it sounds (at least for now) like they plan on keeping Butler despite the recent rumors. Which is good, because he's Jimmy Freaking Butler.
I felt like swapping out his usual middle initial "G" with something more emphatic. I hope it helped those of you still on the fence about this possible trade. You don't trade
Jimmy Freaking Butler.
