Chicago Bulls NBA Trade Rumors 2017: Jimmy Butler Lets Carmelo Anthony Know That He's Welcome in Chicago
For the past few weeks, the New York Knicks have been exploring trade options for forward Carmelo Anthony. However, he is going to be difficult to trade because of his no-trade clause. No matter what the team does, Anthony has the final say in where he plays. He has repeatedly said that he prefers to stay in New York, but he has also admitted that he's open to a move if he feels that he's no longer needed.
Anthony may be 32, but he is still one of the league's most dangerous scorers and he can definitely help a lot of teams that want to contend for a National Basketball Association (NBA) championship. That is why Jimmy Butler is buttering him up and making him feel appreciated.
The Chicago Sun Times reported that Butler spoke with Anthony earlier this week, and he reportedly told him that he would be welcome in Chicago. This may seem sneaky, but Butler said making a player feel appreciated was "half the battle." "Everybody knows what Carmelo can bring to a team. The dude is a hell of a player," he stated. But he admitted that the team still has a lot of things to take care of in the next few weeks before they could even think of acquiring Anthony.
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Butler said it was just a "catch-up call," and he did not rule out the possibility of recruiting Anthony before the trade deadline. However, he knows that it's not up to him to decide who the team acquires.
"You can talk to [Anthony] and tell him all this, all that, but as far as a trade and all that stuff goes, that's for the front office because there's only so much say [the players] can have in a deal like that. There's not too much I can do in that aspect," he said.
The Bulls may not be actively targeting him right now, but it will be interesting to see Anthony, Butler and Dwayne Wade in the same uniform.
