Chicago Bulls Not Actively Shopping Jimmy Butler; Willing to Listen to Offers
The Chicago Bulls are sending a lot of mixed signals lately whenever they are asked about Jimmy Butler's future with the team.
Bulls vice president John Paxson kept the door open for a potential trade involving Butler this summer during a press conference on Wednesday. But the following day, he told ESPN 1000 AM they were not looking to move Butler.
Then during an interview on CBS Chicago's "670 The Score," Paxson once again hinted that they were willing to trade Butler for the right offer.
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"He's become such a good player, and he's trying very hard to be a good leader for this organization. He represents us very, very well. We have an obligation — this is what's very difficult — we have an obligation as an organization to always keep your mind open. If somebody came to you and offered you some unbelievable deal, you'd have to look at it. But that's not a knock on the player and that's not saying you're not committed to him. That's just being realistic in this business, keeping your options open," Paxson said during the interview.
So, what's going on? Why the mixed signals?
Well, Paxson's probably not lying through his teeth when he said they were not looking for a trade partner for Butler. He's just subtly saying they are not actively shopping him around the league, but they are more than willing to listen to offers.
A lot of people believe Dwyane Wade's future with the club will depend on whether they keep Butler or not, so the team may end up losing two of their top players if they move the All-Star wing this summer. However, Butler's a very valuable trade bait and they should really keep their options open. Who knows, they may end up getting an excellent package in exchange for him. A top-three draft pick sounds really good.
