The Chicago Bulls had one of the more eventful offseasons of any team. They traded away long-time point guard Derrick Rose and lost long-time center Joakim Noah in free agency. They replaced them with Robin Lopez, Rajon Rondo, and Dwyane Wade.
More interestingly, however, the team seemed to openly discuss trading star shooting guard Jimmy Butler. Especially in the pre-draft process, Butler’s name came up in several trade rumors, most notably with the Boston Celtics.
But Chicago’s moves in free agency may point to a different strategy, now. Rather than trading away their start for youth and draft picks, they have surrounded him vets. In essence, the team is still trying to contend.
And according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the team no longer has any desire to trade away Butler:
Butler is off the market for now, per league sources, and it’s tempting to read Chicago’s all-in splash as an effort to maintain a winner around him.
It has been an interesting relationship between Butler and the Bulls. Rumors about the guard’s selfishness and ego have coalesced with trade rumors from the Bulls.
But it appears the Chicago Bulls are taking a step back and realizing that Jimmy Butler is one of the best, young players in the game. Trading him away now would be foolish, even if the team built around him makes no sense.
