Jimmy Butler, SG/SF
Jimmy Butler was the central trade figure of the last iteration of the Bulls to reach the playoffs. He initially got on the floor for his defense but worked himself into a two-player after being the last pick in the first round. Bulls management gave a half-hearted attempt at building around him by signing (a well-past-his-prime) Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo.
The resulting playoff berth wasn’t enough, however, and the front office shipped Butler off to Minnesota for a bevy of assets including LaVine and Lauri Markkanen (whom the Timberwolves had selected for the Bulls).
Butler got labeled as a “bad teammate” when he reportedly showed up to Timberwolves practice, called a bunch of guys soft, and proceeded to beat the starters with the backups (while wearing a Rolex, according to Jamal Crawford). It’s a story that’s been embellished but it set about a string of events that saw Jimmy take a similar stance in Philly before Pat Riley got him.
In Miami, Jimmy is the quintessential type of player: hard-working, no-nonsense (on the floor), and plays both ends.
In just one season in South Beach, Butler took the Heat to the NBA Finals for the first time in six years. Miami was the fifth-seed and came in with the 15th-ranked offense and had the 17th-ranked offense in the bubble. They still made it to the Finals and took the Lakers six games.
This season, Butler has had to score a little more as Miami once again deals with injuries. But it’s the career-highs in rebounds and assists that show how complete of a player he truly is.
His skill has truly matched his effort.