Welcome to the newest show here at Pippen Ain’t Easy over the summer: “Jimmy Butler Trade Ideas That Probably Won’t Happen”. Come on in, have a seat and relax, as we discuss good “younger and more athletic” moves that the Bulls won’t make in the future.
With the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery in the books and the Boston Celtics possessing the East’s top seed and the No. 1 overall pick, the curiosity of the Jimmy Butler trade rumors has consumed some of us again. (I know. I’m guilty as charged here.)
Believe me, if it was up to me as general manager, I’d follow a blueprint like the one our friend Stephen Noh at The Athletic Chicago laid out and put shooting all around Butler and make him a James Harden-type of player where he has space to operate within the offense at virtually all times.
But, for the sake of offseason discussions and debates, let’s say that John Paxson and Gar Forman want to start fresh and move on from Jimmy Butler like they did with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah last summer (and also Taj Gibson this season).
The top two teams in the draft lottery — the Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers — each have young assets that could be used as bargaining chips to land a star like Butler moving forward.
And, with the quick reports of the Lakers potentially making D’Angelo Russell available after keeping their pick with it landing inside of the top three and having the potential to take UCLA star Lonzo Ball at No. 2 overall.
"With the Los Angeles Lakers coming away with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft following Tuesday night’s lottery, multiple NBA teams are evaluating trade packages for D’Angelo Russell, league sources told SI.com.(Jake Fischer, SI.com)"
So, let’s say the plan for the Lakers is Ball.
What happens to Russell? Here’s where the Bulls come into play.
More from Bulls History
- Revisiting the time Nate Robinson carried the Chicago Bulls in 2013
- Ranking Michael Jordan’s 11 most iconic commercials of all-time
- Ranking the 10 best sharpshooters in Chicago Bulls history
- 4 Historic NBA teams the Bulls have completely devastated
- Ranking the 13 Worst Bulls starters of the Derrick Rose era
Rajon Rondo signed a partially-guaranteed two-year deal this past season and from the sounds of the season-ending press conference for GarPax, Rondo is a likely possibility to return next season.
But, behind him, there’s not a lot of confidence in Jerian Grant and Michael Carter-Williams.
Denzel Valentine showed little flashes, but his age and this recent ankle scope are bringing more doubts about his potential, too.
Cameron Payne hardly played after the Gibson trade and didn’t look that impressive when he did. (He was hardly active down the stretch of the year.)
Basically, the Bulls need a young option at point guard and the Lakers are making Russell available, why not look to see if you can bring the No. 2 overall pick in 2015 to Chicago?
Disclaimer: These are just creative ideas to process. Obviously, you’d have to factor in salaries and potential trade exceptions to make a trade work.
Trade idea No. 1: Bulls get the Lakers’ last two No. 2 overall picks and Swaggy P for Butler
Not only would the Bulls get two “younger and more athletic” options at point guard and on the wing, they could take the rest of Nick Young’s current deal that’s good through next season as a shooter on the perimeter. Instead of getting future picks, the Bulls would be getting two former top-3 picks in the last two drafts and a 40.4 3-point shooter last season.
That’s not a bad start in a rebuild.
(Reminder: the Lakers don’t have their first-round pick until 2019 because the 2018 pick is unprotected and heading to Philadelphia. Sam Hinkie lives.)
Trade idea No. 2: Bulls get Russell, Swaggy and the young Bull (pun intended) Julius Randle for some Mirotic insurance
Let’s say that the Bulls decide not to match any Nikola Mirotic offers as a restricted free agent this summer, which leaves an opening at the power forward spot. (There’s also a chance that Cristiano Felicio could be gone this summer too as a free agent.)
If the Bulls wanted to tweak their offer, they could still go after Russell, but instead of Ingram as well, they could bring back Young and Julius Randle, a former top-10 pick. Randle’s ceiling isn’t as high as Mirotic’s could be, but Randle’s ability to handle the ball in transition and willingness to find the open man as a left-hander also makes you wonder what Ben Simmons is going to look like next season. He’s as strong as any player in the league and can exciting to watch at times.
Why these trades probably won’t happen:
For me personally, I say don’t trade Jimmy Butler.
He’s a top-15 player in the league and is probably going to make one of the All-NBA teams this season. Plus, the Lakers have a new regime in place in their front office and they seem happy with the youth movement moving forward under Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson.
Also, there’s no telling whether or not Brandon Ingram even reaches the caliber of a Jimmy Butler.
I liked this bit from a roundtable discussion at SB Nation‘s Silver Screen and Roll, the Lakers blog, and this point by The Great Mambino on the Lakers trading their new No. 2 pick away was good:
"The truth is, we’re not sure. And until we’re sure of that, the Lakers are better off keeping this pick, selecting Lonzo Ball, Markelle Fultz or Josh Jackson and then seeing if that player, D’Angelo or Ingram are the true anchor towards the next title contender. Once identified, youngsters can start flying out the door for a more established player like Paul George or Jimmy Butler."
The Bulls and Lakers are in similar spots. They have a bunch of youth and don’t really know how good the kids are.
Next: PAE's Post-Lottery Big Board for the No. 16 pick names to watch
Until they know, movement from either side is unlikely.