The Chicago Bulls were indeed talking with other teams about potential deals involving Jimmy Butler, according to a report from CSN Chicago. Among the teams with whom the Bulls had the most discussions were the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics are a particularly interesting case with multiple draft picks and young players to use in trade talks. But according to that report, trade talks broke down after Boston refused to include forward Jae Crowder:
Yes, the Bulls did inquire to a couple teams at the trade deadline about Butler and Rose, along with Pau Gasol, league sources tell CSNChicago.com. They had preliminary discussions with the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics, but when the Celtics wouldn’t put promising forward Jae Crowder in their package of picks and players, there was no realistic possibility of a trade.
Butler also has a five percent trade kicker, according to league sources, where the Bulls would have to pay him an additional $2.6 million to leave, essentially.
There are multiple angles to this. It is clearly difficult to match salaries so Crowder would be an important piece in that discussion. More importantly, the versatile forward would be a solid replacement for Butler as both a defensive and offensive threat should the Bulls shooting guard have been traded.
It is difficult for me to envision why the Celtics took Crowder out of negotiations. He has certainly been great this season and in my mind, he has been the best player for the C’s. However, if Boston had the chance to go after a superstar in Butler and the traded hinged on Crowder, it seems almost far-fetched that they would not pull the trigger.
Nevertheless, the Bulls continue to hold on to their star, with questions abound for the team that missed the playoffs this season for the first time in a long time. Butler’s leadership has repeatedly come into question and his relationship with point guard Derrick Rose has also been a subject of much speculation.
Despite all of these issues and the team needing a well-organized rebuild, the Bulls would be wise to hold off on trading Butler even as trade rumors continue to swirl. He is an immense talent and one of, if not the best player at his position. If the right trade comes around, it would make sense to move on, but that trade would need to include a ton of assets that Chicago could then build around.
That does not seem likely and the Bulls will have to continue their rebuild around Jimmy Butler and the few, high-ceiling, young players that they have.
