Pippen Ain't Easy
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Not-So-Early Draft Board for Chicago Bulls in 2017 Draft: Part II

By Michael Whitlow

Feb 5, 2017; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Dwayne Bacon (4) moves the ball around Clemson Tigers guard Marcquise Reed (2) during the second half at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2017; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Dwayne Bacon (4) moves the ball around Clemson Tigers guard Marcquise Reed (2) during the second half at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jimmy Butler, SG/SF, Chicago Bulls
Feb 16, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) drives on Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) during the second half at the United Center. Chicago won 104-103. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

What could/should the Bulls do with the 2017 draft?

The possibilities are seemingly endless for the Bulls with this year’s draft. It’s one of the best classes in recent memory and with two first-round picks in hand (as of now), the Bulls cannot afford to let this chance of actually getting younger and more athletic pass them by.

One situation that needs addressed is, what’s the plan with Jimmy Butler? Are they going to move him before the Feb. 23 trade deadline or not? If (and it’s a major if) the Bulls can get Boston to budge on a potential deal, that could give the Bulls three first-round picks for the 2017 draft with an added first-round pick in 2018 (via the Boston/Brooklyn trade that brought Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets a few years back).

MORE BULLS: An All-Star edition of a Pippen Ain’t Easy roundtable discussion

With that looking more and more unlikely as the deadline draws closer, the Bulls need to find an identity and the draft could go a long way in determining how that goes. Their poor shooting is well-documented. Their lack of real athleticism is obvious. Taj Gibson is a free agent next season and the Bulls probably won’t be able to afford what others could pay him this summer, which could lead to front court options being a priority, especially with Nikola Mirotic’s contract situation as well.

What could the Bulls do? Anything really. They could shock everyone and trade Butler and Gibson for assets, and sacrifice the rest of the season for a better and brighter future. (That’s probably not happening because playoff revenue, Jerry Reinsdorf’s loyalty to Gar Forman and John Paxson, GarPax liking what they have, and so on…)

What should the Bulls do? That’s the $64,000 question. Should they trade Butler? The answer is probably not, but they’ve shown a complete lack of competence building around him with what they have now, so moving him isn’t the craziest idea in the world.

Next: Jimmy Butler on trade rumors: 'Nothing I can do about it'

Moving Butler, Gibson, both of them or others on the roster could mean more picks for June’s draft. There’s plenty on the table for the Bulls to discuss and that also includes this year’s draft.

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