Welcome back to another episode of Chicago Bulls rumors! Chicago Bulls rumors is the most popular segment on Pippen Ain’t Easy, your best choice for Chicago Bulls news, previews and reviews. You would think that nothing would be going on with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers coming to town, but this is the Chicago Bulls we are talking about. The drama going on off the court is the contract negotiations between Jimmy Butler’s camp and the Chicago Bulls.
Well Pippen Peoples, the Chicago Bulls and Jimmy Butler have until midnight October 31, 2014 to agree on a contract extension. If this does not happen, Butler will become a restricted free agent over the summer. There are numerous reports that the extension will not be worked out before the deadline. I wouldn’t bet the house on that until Saturday November 1st is officially here and then I’m still looking for loopholes.
Let’s get some insight from Basketball Insiders’ columnist Alex Kennedy on what has happened up to the moment.
"” I think they’re close number wise. With that said. I don’t know if a deal will get done. I was told Butler may try to play out the season and see if he can have a huge year before signing a huge deal,”“Essentially, he would be betting on himself to have a huge season since he’s no longer dealing with his turf toe and he had a very good preseason. With that said, if the Bulls come up and increase their offer, I do think he’d bite and extend his deal. It’s just about finding the number that’s worth it for both sides.”"
Oct 7, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) shoots in the first half against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
This is nothing new for the Bulls. The same thing happened in negotiations with Taj Gibson. The will he or won’t he sign questions floated around until the last minute and Gibson ended up signing an extension just before the game that night on the very last day.
This situation is different. Now we can see that the Bulls made off like fat cats because Gibson’s contract is one of the more economical in the NBA. You see the reason why Taj Gibson trade rumors are so common is not because he’s not playing well or the Bulls don’t want him. It’s because based on the production Gibson provides every night, he is gold for any NBA team’s salary cap. Ask yourself this question…Who in the NBA has a better contract?
Apr 16, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Chicago Bulls guard D.J. Augustin (14) looks on as the referees talk during the second half of the game against the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena. Bobcats win in overtime 91-86. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
I hope the Bulls don’t go status quo when they do business with the Butler contract. The constant rotation of guards that come off the bench every year. Instead of resigning them such as D.J. Augustin, Nate Robinson or Marco Bellinelli, the Bulls go find replacements thinking they can keep finding lightning in a bottle. Why? Because it saves money. Luol Deng being shown the door was because the Bulls thought Butler, Snell and Dunleavy could do the same thing Deng was doing at the time without a three year, $30 million dollar price tag.
Check out the quote from Joel Brigham from Basketball Insiders’ says about the situation.
"They’re certainly going to try, because an extension at $9-10 million right now is going to look like a bargain compared to what he’d get on the open market, which the Bulls could definitely not afford to match. There’s definitely a possibility that he’d get a max offer (or close to it) if that were the case, so they want to keep him, but they’ll have to extend him on the “cheap” to do that. If he hits free agency (which I see him wanting to do), he’s probably a goner. Two way three/D guys like that are so valuable in the NBA."
Mr. Brigham is being kind. With what Butler brings to the table, $9-10 million dollars is bargain basement prices. I guess we all didn’t miss the key word “cheap”. The Chicago Bulls are playing the same games they did with Luol Deng and his negotiations. This is not one of those situations where the Bulls want to play these games.
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Why the Chicago Bulls would is a mystery to anyone who knows the game of basketball. Jimmy Butler is one of the best one on one defenders in the NBA. He is the go to guy to stop the top flight wing players in the league like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant. Couple that with the fact his scoring improved last year with a flat guarantee the trend will continue this year, he will be coveted by many NBA squads next summer.
Sure, both sides are very polite in saying they want to get a deal done. That’s predictable. But money talks and you know what runs the marathon. As of right now I don’t know anyone on the staff of Pippen Ain’t Easy that rocking track shoes at this moment.
If this deal does not get done by midnight, let’s go over the possible scenarios that might happen in the future.
Before we go into this, please pay attention to this part of the article…these are possible scenarios. This does not mean that it will happen. Let’s get to it.
The trade scenario.
Here’s the caveat that bears repeating while discussing the contract negotiations. If Jimmy Butler gets a max deal offer from another team as a restricted free agent next summer, the Chicago Bulls CAN NOT resign him. They do not have the financial flexibility to do so. Now what does that mean? That means that Butler walks away for nothing. An option here would be trading Butler before the trading deadline to get something for him as opposed to watching him walk out the United Center for free in July.
Let’s say this one more time…the trade scenario is HIGHLY UNLIKELY! It just exists. Please be clear here. The Chicago Bulls need Butler in the lineup if they want to make a championship run. Both sides know this.
The wait and see approach.
They table discussions and see what happens during the season. After the season ends, negotiations start up again. This is a gamble for both sides.
With Jimmy Butler, he could get injured or have a down year which would hurt the bottom line.
With the Chicago Bulls, they risk losing Butler for good.
Pippen Ain’t Easy will stay on top of the negotiations and will have analysis either way the negotiations go. Will the Chicago Bulls do the right thing and sign Jimmy Butler or wait on what happens this summer? That’s why it’s important to keep it locked to Pippen Ain’t Easy for all of your Chicago Bulls rumors on this situation.
Oct 30, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts in the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Oh, there’s a game on tonight? Pippen Ain’t Easy will be right there with LeBron and company to see if the Cavaliers will go 0-2. Pippen Ain’t Easy is dedicated to being your best choice for all Chicago Bulls news previews and reviews.
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