Are the Bulls Setting the Stage for a Full-blown Rebuild?
With the trade deadline coming to a close in just a couple of weeks, it’s time for the Bulls management to start asking themselves what the best moves for the future of the franchise are.
When the first Jimmy Butler trade rumors popped up this season (which was always, but really around New Year’s), the news disappeared when the Bulls went on a beautiful three-game winning streak off of Butler’s 37 points per game and clutch prowess.
Now, however, the Bulls are 2-5 in their last seven, and despite holding on to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, are not looking like a team that can do anything other than lose in the first round (assuming they can even get there).
It’s clear that despite Butler’s exceptional talent level, unless the Bulls can surround him with much better players, the Bulls will be stuck in no-mans-land, otherwise known in the NBA as “too good for a lottery pick, but too bad to ever compete.”
Dwyane Wade added onto the possibilities of a full rebuild when he recently said that Jimmy was a huge reason as to why he was here, and that he had no interest of participating in a rebuild.
So, theoretically, if the Bulls traded Butler, they could assume Wade would be gone as well. Then, if they deal with the Rondo issue and make a couple of other trades, Chicago could officially enter a total rebuild.
Although it still remains unlikely that the Bulls actually do trade Butler, Chicago’s poor performances of late may cause General Manager Gar Forman to really consider dealing him.