One of the most surprising transactions thus far in the NBA offseason was the trade of Jimmy Butler. The longtime Chicago Bulls star was moved to Minnesota despite having multiple years left on his contract.
It was a shock to much of the NBA world, but it was also surprising to Butler himself. Appearing on the Bill Simmons Podcast, the shooting guard confirmed previous reports that the Bulls’ front office had informed him earlier this summer he would be staying in Chicago for the foreseeable future.
Transcript via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times:
“I thought I was going to be there so I’m not going to say word for word what they said, but when I left there I did think I was going to be there,’’ Butler said. “But like I said, it’s a business and it is what it is.
“I said [to them in the meeting] we were OK. I said a lot of things about the future that if I could control it I would do this, but I can’t.”
Despite the change of heart, Butler publicly maintains he holds no grudge for Gar Forman, John Paxson, or the rest of the Bulls’ organization:
“I have nothing against anybody on that team, anybody in that organization, but they were so stuck on not building around me, but maybe building with me as they would say or going young. A rebuild. So it was one or the other. I just wanted to know. Was it clear when I left that meeting what we were going to do? No. Maybe I was told some things that I took as, ‘You might be here.’ ‘’
Butler’s comments may be non-incendiary, but this still isn’t a great look for the Bulls’ front office. It’s a business, as we always say, but effectively lying to a star player while also not giving him a clear sense of direction about the franchise, is a reputation that sticks.
