All-Star Isaiah Thomas and the Boston Celtics continue to play a quality brand of basketball as they approach the 50-game mark. They have overtaken the Toronto Raptors as the number two seed in the Eastern Conference behind the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers. With Isaiah Thomas continuing to absolutely terrorize defenses in the fourth quarter and everyone else playing their role, Boston remains a formidable threat and a team capable of beating anyone.
On the other side of the spectrum for the middling Chicago Bulls, the turmoil from recent drama surrounding Rajon Rondo questioning the leadership abilities of veterans Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade is still fresh. It appears the locker room may still be divided in Chicago and if that is the case, changes may have to be made.
While that doesn’t necessarily mean dealing their best player in Jimmy Butler, the Celtics and the Bulls may reportedly reopen trade talks regarding the All-Star starter. Following from K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune:
There are rival executives who believe the Bulls and Celtics will rekindle trade talks centered on Jimmy Butler before the Feb. 23 deadline. The teams held serious talks in June, and the Celtics own the same assets — Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, the Nets’ first-round picks in 2017 and 2018 — the teams discussed then.
Butler could be in line for a five-year, roughly $230 million extension in 2018 that would begin in 2019-20 should he qualify for the designated player exception. Trading a player of Butler’s stature typically takes place near the draft, when draft positions are known and projected picks slotted.
But last week’s drama and a tough upcoming trip could change the direction of the season and generate internal debate anew.
While elite players in the class of a Jimmy Butler don’t typically get dealt this time of year, a trade could make sense for both sides. Despite attempts to hash it out, there is likely still a level of discord in the Bulls locker room. While shipping away someone like Rajon Rondo would make more sense than a player of Butler’s magnitude, if Chicago is trying to rebuild they could potentially want to trade the Marquette product and receive assets in return to kick off a new era.
While this rightfully seems like a longshot, especially as Butler reaches his peak, it’s worth a try for Boston as they need one more piece to truly contend for that Eastern Conference crown come May.
