Why Jimmy Butler May Remain With Chicago Bulls Through This Upcoming Offseason
Butler is still under contract with the Bulls through the 2018-19 season and he possesses a player option for the 2019-20 season
Chicago Bulls star swingman Jimmy Butler is on the shortlist of players whose names get mentioned frequently in trade rumors, and it is easy to understand why.
The Bulls are fresh off a disappointing campaign that ended up with them ceding a 2-0 lead to the Boston Celtics, eventually getting eliminated from the playoffs in six games.
The roster features some talented young players, but none of them are considered blue chip prospects who may eventually turn into superstars.
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Butler is the face of this franchise now, but given that the franchise does not appear anywhere close to contending for a title at this point in time, some analysts and insiders have put forth the possibility that the Bulls may be better off dealing their star now, getting good value for him in a trade and rebuilding with those new players.
It is an interesting thought, but apparently not one the Bulls are considering just yet.
Speaking recently to ESPN 1000 in Chicago, Bulls executive vice president for basketball operations John Paxson shared that "we are not looking to trade Jimmy Butler," according to this tweet from ESPN's Chris Bleck.
Again, given the team's situation, opting not to deal Butler now may seem counterproductive, though there are reasons why holding off on a trade at least for this summer may not be the worst idea.
First off, finding a legitimate superstar talent in the NBA is really difficult, and while Butler may not be on the level of LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard, he is still an incredible talent who can carry a team for certain stretches in a game.
The Bulls need to make sure they can get someone really good in exchange for Butler, and that can take time. The search for that deal may even have to extend beyond this season.
Butler also remains under contract with the Bulls through the 2018-19 season. He also possesses a player option for the 2019-20 season. This means the Bulls do have some time here and if the right deal doesn't present itself this summer, they can still revisit this matter again during the upcoming season or even next year.
The situation between Butler and the Bulls will be resolved eventually, but fans probably should not be all that surprised if a definitive move is not made this offseason.
More news about the latest NBA trade rumors should be made available soon.
