The Chicago Bulls have had a disastrous season, so there's all sorts of speculation about what will happen this summer. Given that this group has not jelled under coach Fred Hoiberg and the fact that big men Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah will be free agents in the offseason, it's fair to assume the team will look quite different next year. The Vertical's Chris Mannix reported that the Bulls could even move their franchise player.
"I've been hearing rumblings that there is legitimate interest in Chicago in potentially dealing Jimmy Butler this offseason," Mannix said in a video (6:40 mark).
It has previously been reported that the Boston Celtics tried to acquire Butler at February's trade deadline. The Vertical also reported that "several executives point to Orlando … as a team to watch closely in the pursuit of Butler."
It's easy to figure out why the Celtics and Magic would try to pry Butler away. He's a legitimate two-way star who could bump Boston toward championship contention and Orlando toward respectability. Both teams want to take the next step as soon as possible.
Why, though, would the Bulls even consider giving him up? They signed Butler to a five-year, $95 million contract last summer, and he's only 26 years old. Unless they are extremely concerned about Butler's knee, it's hard to imagine how trading away their best scorer and defender would get them moving in the right direction.
You'd think that Chicago's plan would be simple: let the free agents walk, then explore the trade market for just about everybody except Butler. The Bulls need a new identity, and there's no reason Butler can't be a part of that. Lately, though, nothing involving Chicago has been as straightforward as that.
