As the dust settles on Chicago’s elimination from the NBA postseason, the topic of conversation shifts from their impressive early series performance against the Celtics to what they’ll do in the offseason. Jimmy Butler, for what it’s worth, tells Nick Friedell of ESPN that he’d like to remain with the Bulls.
Butler is well aware of the fact that he’ll be featured heavily in trade rumors this offseason but went so far as to say that he hoped the Bulls front office would retain potential free agent Rajon Rondo. The Bulls have a player option on the second year of the veteran guard’s contract.
“He’s been huge for us this year,” Butler said. “[…] But I don’t know what the future holds for anybody. So I’ll sit back and wait on that time to come.”
The 27-year-old swingman put up 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game for the Bulls despite the notoriously chaotic campaign and has said all the right things when it comes to his future in Chicago.
Whether the Bulls front office decides to keep the core that looked so promising in Games 1 and 2 of their first-round series together for another crack at Eastern Conference success in 2017/18, however, remains to be seen.
There’s more from Chicago:
- It was a frustrating season for Bulls fans, one they can blame on executives Gar Forman and John Paxon. ESPN’s Nick Friedell recently wrote about how the front office hasn’t exactly stuck to the message they initially broadcast to fans about a pending rebuild.
- Count The Vertical’s Shams Charania among those looking to make sense of the Bulls’ options heading forward. Much of what unfolds could depend on Dwyane Wade‘s player option, which at this point remains up in the air. Per Charania, Wade and Jimmy Butler will eventually discuss the decision “face-to-face”.
- A series of ESPN Insider panelists recently discussed the looming decisions that the Bulls will have to make. Despite a dramatic 2016/17, the consensus believes we’ll see a similar roster in 2017/18 once the front office picks up Rajon Rondo’s option and Dwyane Wade takes his.
- The Bulls still need a point guard for their future, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes. “It’s tough. We’re asking guys to play roles they haven’t played all year,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said of asking players like Dwyane Wade, Isaiah Canaan and even Paul Zipser to bring up the ball in their elimination game Friday.
- The carousal of point guards that the Bulls trotted out this season didn’t impress Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman. The Thunder columnist wrote about how Cameron Payne – the supposed primary factor in the Taj Gibson deal – was Chicago’s fifth-string point guard.
Rondo at this point should just come off the bench, trading Jimmy would be absolutely dumb. Keep Wade and Jimmy together and develop Payne into that starter, no need to bring another one in. Payne can shoot and run point he just got hurt, if anything just develop Portis’s jumper so he can be ready to be the stretch 4 next season. Denzel and Portis are the future regardless
i tend to agree w. that. unfortunately i feel like the roster wont be much different next year so we should just continue to build w. what we have. but if we did happen to trade jimmy before the draft, wade would probably opt out and then i could see a rebuild happening.
No team with Butler and Wade as its best player is ever going to win a conference or NBA championship.
It took the Bulls forever to move on from Deng, Noah and Rose, and it hurt the frachise. What you’re suggesting will only be a colossal waste of time and hurt the franchise even more.
Agree. Butler is a 2 guy/supporting role. He doesn’t have leadership qualities or skills, and Wade is a washed up shell of his former self.
If I was the Bulls, I’d sign Rondo for a few more years, trade Butler for 3 solid draft picks, and hopefully moving Butler is enough to make Wade not come back.
I couldn’t disagree more. Rondo played well before he got hurt. I saw Payne play here in OKC. He is not a facilitator, cannot play defense, and has a terrible shot. ( about 30%) That is not from e point range. That was his actual fg % this year with the thunder. It is no wonder the Thunder traded him. He is now your 5th string point guard and was not on your roster for the playoffs. He will most likely never be a starting pg in nba.
From the outset the combo of Butler, Wade, Rondo was criticized for being a poor match, and it was. It’s time to move on from that group. I can understand Bulls fans getting their hopes up after games 1 and 2, but that was just a pipe dream. They should be happy the Celtics came back and won 4 straight, hopefully saving the front office from trying to bring the gang back together, and sinking the franchise into Nets territory. Trading Butler, entering his age 28 season but with several years under Thibs, would be the first step. It sucks to trade a star player in their hypothetical prime, but how do you add to this group now and see a future where the Bulls are higher than a 6 seed? Decline Rondo’s option, and hopefully Wade declines his player option once you’ve dealt Butler or informed him of your plan to do so. I won’t assume I know what the Bulls get back in a Butler trade but sufficed to say it would add to their already talented and youthful group. Give those guys a longer look together next season, with a fresh cap outlook, and an actual direction as a franchise.