Why trading Butler would make no sense for Bulls
Call it a slow news day perhaps, but most of the conversation after Bulls practice Friday at the Advocate Center concerned a report the team has been shopping star Jimmy Butler.
The rumor came from longtime NBA reporter Rick Bucher, who now works for Bleacher Report. It was a fairly detailed report, stating the Bulls started this process weeks ago and aren't sure if they want to build around Butler, citing a league source.
Whether this is accurate or not, trading Butler makes absolutely no sense for the Bulls right now. It goes back to the most fundamental rule of NBA team-building: You win with stars. Trading an all-star for a couple of decent players is a horrible plan and Bulls management is well aware of that.
Butler might have just delivered the best week by a Bulls player since Michael Jordan retired for good. He hit the game-winning jumper at the buzzer against Brooklyn, poured in 52 points against Charlotte, then dominated the fourth quarter in Wednesday's win at Cleveland.
Sure, the Cavaliers were missing three starters, but Butler was the best player down the stretch of a game that included LeBron James, always a significant achievement.
"I think he's the cornerstone of this franchise," Dwyane Wade said Friday. "He's the reason I'm here, the reason we're winning games."
Besides his on-court performance, Butler signed his contract extension before the league's salary cap soared, so he's also a relative bargain right now. Butler is under contract for the next two seasons at $18.7 and $19.8 million, then he'll probably opt out of the final year and become a free agent in 2019.
What sort of Butler trade would even make sense for the Bulls? To Houston for James Harden, Oklahoma City for Russell Westbrook, Milwaukee for Giannis Antetokounmpo? Sorry, those deals aren't happening.
The Bulls' path couldn't be simpler right now. They have a top-10 player who is 27 years old and still getting better, along with maybe another good year or two of Wade. The Bulls need to land another contributor in free agency this summer and add some experienced players to the bench.
LeBron James has shown no signs of slowing down, but he is 32 with considerable mileage on his body. Toronto could lose Kyle Lowry in free agency this summer. Boston is still getting better and after that, the East is a jumble of average teams. The Bulls could become a viable contender in the East with a few smart moves this summer.
And what's the alternative to building around Butler? Going full-Philadelphia and diving for high-draft picks? The Bulls are all about keeping the United Center full and a couple of 15-win seasons won't be forgiven as easily as they were in the post-championship years.
Anyway, coach Fred Hoiberg and Wade got the "Shop Butler" questions from a variety of angles on Friday.
"Jimmy has been unbelievable in every possible way this year," Hoiberg said. "I've talked about it all season long. His leadership, obviously his play speaks for itself. He's playing as well as anybody in the league, especially when you look at this last week."
Having Wade join the Bulls and serve as a mentor as how to become an NBA superstar might have been the best thing to happen to Butler this year, along with Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott finally making some 3-point shots.
"Somebody wrote an article? Who cares? You can control what you can control," Wade said. "You can't control somebody waking up one day and wanting to stir something up in Chicago and write an article. The only thing you can do is bring your butt in here and work, and if they call you and say, 'Hey, you've been moved.' Shake their hand and you say, 'Thank you for everything,' and you leave.
"It's the time of the year where everybody's name is being thrown in a hat, and most of it doesn't even happen.''
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Bulls game day
Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors at the United Center, 7 p.m. Saturday
TV: WGN
Radio: WLS 890-AM
Outlook: This is the first meeting between the teams this season, so it will be interesting to see if the Bulls can continue their dinosaur dominance. The Bulls have won nine straight against Toronto, sweeping the season series 4-0 in each of the last two years. The Raptors (24-11) just went 3-3 on a West Coast trip, came home and beat Utah 101-93 on Thursday. SG DeMar DeRozan is having the best year of his career, averaging 27.4 ppg. PG Kyle Lowry has heated up lately, scoring 26 ppg over the last 10 contests. C Jonas Valanciunas (12.0 ppg) and SF Terrence Ross (11.0) round out the Raptors' top scorers. Super sub Patrick Patterson has missed the last three games with a knee injury.
Next: Oklahoma City Thunder at the United Center on Monday, 7 p.m.
- Mike McGraw