If I was the general manager of the Chicago Bulls

What I would do if I was the Chicago Bulls in the 2017 NBA Draft

OK, first thing’s first: are we keeping Jimmy Butler or not?

To make it fair, let’s address both situations. Let’s go down the path of, “Hey, Jimmy … we’re going to rebuild and you’re a top-15 player. You deserve to win elsewhere and we’re going to make sure that happens.”

And, let’s try, “Hey, Jimmy … we’re gonna get younger and there’s going to be some growing pains, but we’re going to build this franchise around you and build a contender.”

First up, let’s blow it up. I’m talking a Kingdome-like explosion. It’s done. Goodbye, Jimmy. You deserve better than this.

Dealing with the Boston Celtics

Everybody and their mother knows that the Bulls and Boston Celtics have been linked in Jimmy Butler rumors for months. The Bulls want a lot, or I should say, I want a lot for Butler. He just made the All-Star Game for the third straight season and was a Third Team All-NBA member as he’s starting his prime years. He’s worth a pretty penny and I want that penny.

I call Celtics general manager Danny Ainge up and say, “We’re blowing this up, Danny. If you want Jimmy Butler, you got him. But, I want a big return. Give me your Brooklyn pick in 2018, the Lakers pick if it falls between 2-5 in 2018 or that pick from Sacramento that’s unprotected in 2019, Jaylen Brown (or I’d even take Avery Bradley) and this year’s No. 3 overall pick you’re getting in the Markelle Fultz trade and he’s yours.”

That’s a lot, but Butler’s worth so much.

How much? You tell me.

That’s some pretty good company to be in.

If Ainge actually wants to go for it all for a change and takes that deal, we’d have the No. 3 overall pick this year, Brooklyn’s likely top-5 pick next year in 2018 and pending on what happening with the Lakers pick, we could have three top-5 picks in two years. That’s worth for Jimmy Butler. You get superstars high in the lottery, not sitting right outside of the lottery in purgatory.

Plus, Ainge still has some assets left over to go pursue Paul George from the Indiana Pacers and built a team to challenge LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for at least one year. (Butler’s team-friendly deal doesn’t end for a couple summers, too.)

So, there you have it: the Chicago Bulls possess the No. 3, No. 16 and No. 38 picks in this year’s draft, Brooklyn’s likely high lottery pick in 2018 and potentially the Lakers pick if it’s 2-5 in the lottery order. Five picks in two years possibly. That’s a great rebuilding start.

The draft itself

So, we have three picks to think about here.

We’ll get to Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo. They’re important here, too.

John Paxson wants a “downhill point guard”, eh? We’ll give him a downhill point guard. With the third overall pick, the Chicago Bulls select De’Aaron Fox from the University of Kentucky. I know, the shot is still a major work in progress. You need a point guard that can shoot in today’s NBA. I understand that. However, it’s something that can be worked on with time.

And, Fox is the best point guard option after Fultz and UCLA’s Lonzo Ball (who he cooked in the Sweet 16 of this year’s NCAA Tournament). I like his speed, change of speeds with the ball, his tenacity when pressuring the ball defensively and he works quick. Think John Wall in terms of Fox in transition. He’s fast. Really fast. He makes fast people look … not fast.

There’s the point guard situation under control. (We’ll get to you, Rondo. Hold on.)

With the 16th pick, let’s use the Draft Express mock draft as of now to give us a sense of who will potentially be available. Guys like Justin Jackson, OG Anunoby, Terrance Ferguson, Semi Ojeleye and D.J. Wilson are all available for us to select. We’re young, we’re really not trying to win right away if we’re being honest, so let’s take a gamble.

At 16, we select Indiana’s OG Anunoby. Look, I know a serious knee issue last season. I know his shot isn’t where it needs to be. My head coach needs shooters and we really don’t have any. We also don’t have anyone that can guard perimeter players either. Anunoby is built like a professional linebacker and can guard about any position on the floor when he’s healthy. He’s locked up current Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray on a big stage before and showed a lot of promise in Bloomington. If his offensive game comes along to match his defensive talent, we might have a Jimmy Butler replacement of the future. Let’s risk it to get the biscuit.

For the 38th pick (yes, we still have that too), let’s take Villanova’s Josh Hart. I know, such a GarPax pick, right? Experienced college player that’s older than most? Still, Hart can be a nice piece as a 3-and-D guy in our rotation. He shot over 40 percent last season from 3 and at 6-foot-6, he’s got solid size and can score in different ways.

Fox, Anunoby and Hart isn’t a bad start to a rebuild.