Jimmy Butler Should Remain in Chicago Through the Summer

Jimmy Butler is the best player on the Chicago Bulls roster and the franchise shouldn’t pull the trigger on a potential trade that could set them back further.

After the season ended on Wednesday night, Bulls general manager Gar Forman and vice president John Paxson spoke with the media over the disappointment that this season brought.

“It’s obvious this roster isn’t going to be exactly the same coming back,” Paxson said this past Wednesday night, via Sam Smith of Bulls.com. “We have to make some changes. What we have to do is determine that path, whether it’s through trades, free agency, draft, all those type of things.”

One of those potential changes that’s been rumored has been the Bulls engaging in a trade that’s centered around Jimmy Butler moving elsewhere. After this season’s trade deadline, there were some rumblings that the Boston Celtics were interested in Butler, along with the Orlando Magic.

There’s also the possibility of Tom Thibodeau landing on his feet in a new head coach role next season — possibly a hot spot like Minnesota — which could bring back some young assets and picks for the Bulls.

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Here’s the thing with moving Jimmy Butler: Are you going to get back enough to jolt the Bulls back into contention quickly?

These rumored moves could help the Bulls in the future, but this isn’t a franchise that looks that far into the future and is more conservative on the trade market than the Republican Party. The Bulls are a “win right now” type of franchise and unless putting things in the tank is a legitimate option for a couple seasons, trading Butler might set you back even farther.

There is a sense of agreement on Butler’s value, though. His value is about as high as it can be as a two-way star right now. Trading him has some legitimate thoughts behind it. The Bulls clearly need to bring in younger athletes everywhere on the depth chart.

However, another issue with the thought of moving Butler: What’s the rest of this roster going to look like moving forward? The Bulls have two bigs — Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol — that are in line for unrestricted free agency, along with Aaron Brooks and E’Twaun Moore being free agents.

The Bulls have young pieces in the Bobby Portis–Nikola Mirotic–Doug McDermott–Justin Holiday quartet of guys, but those guys aren’t propelling you to a title anytime soon. Mike Dunleavy looked like a complete shell of himself coming off a back surgery (and some complications). Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson are both free agents after next season.

A good point was made by the folks over SB Nation’s Blog a Bull on moving Butler not bringing enough back to the Bulls:

"I think there is definitely debate to be had as to how good Butler actually is, and if his playing style combined with injury history makes him truly that valuable over the next 4 years. But not to the point where I’m moving on with a fistful of assets. I definitely do not have the mindset that Butler ‘needs’ to be moved due to his attitude and relationship with Hoiberg. Jimmy may have become a corny diva, but he ultimately believes in working hard and (generally) playing defense and team-first basketball…if anything he needs better teammates and coaching, those guys don’t need a better Butler."

In that piece (which I suggest you read and take another look at another opinion), YFBB breaks down the different tiers of players in the league currently with a sense of value. As he mentions (and you’ll probably notice it), none of those players came from Boston or Orlando. The only two players from Minnesota in his tiers are Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.

Yeah, you’re not getting those two.

Is the thought of a piece or two and extra draft picks — especially high draft picks — intriguing? Absolutely.

Seeing someone like Duke star Brandon Ingram or Cal’s explosive wing Jaylen Brown in a Bulls uniform could bring some excitement heading into next season with a trade involving Boston. Getting a package of Victor Oladipo, Evan Fournier and a pick for Butler may sound exciting, but it’s not enough for Butler. It’s just not.

Neither one of the soon-to-be rookies or the rotation pieces from Boston or Orlando can impact the game like Jimmy Butler can.

Next: The case for keeping Tony Snell

Not only that, you can’t expect a rookie (or some role guys) to take the place of a two-time All-Star and the league’s Most Improved Player last year.

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Why the Bulls Shouldn’t Trade Jimmy Butler

By Michael Whitlow | Apr 15, 2016

Jimmy Butler is the best player on the Chicago Bulls roster and the franchise shouldn’t pull the trigger on a potential trade that could set them back further.