With the NBA Draft, an intriguing free agent class, and certain All-Stars potentially being on the trade block, this offseason could be an incredibly exciting one. Plenty of teams and players will be worth watching, and one of the bigger ones is Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler.
There were some reports that the Bulls were listening to offers for him before the NBA trade deadline though it is widely believed that they were never considering moving him. With their offseason now underway after falling to the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, could that mindset change?
The Bulls recently held their exit meetings and vice president of basketball operations, John Paxson, acknowledged that it would be difficult for Chicago to bring in another star next to Butler, according to Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago:
Pax: "With Jimmy, all of us would love to get another superstar player but with the salaries we have now, it’s a difficult thing to manage."
— Vincent Goodwill (@vgoodwill) May 3, 2017
General manager Gar Forman also spoke about cap flexibility being more important for the franchise than spending now via Goodwill:
Gar talking about the importance of cap flexibility down the line as opposed to spending now
— Vincent Goodwill (@vgoodwill) May 3, 2017
If the Bulls are indeed more focused on future cap flexibility, their best path for doing so could potentially be by moving Butler. In no way does this mean the Bulls will be actively shopping Butler, but if the right offer comes along, they could give it strong consideration.
The front office of the Lakers has spoken about looking to improve the roster this offseason and acquiring Butler would be one of the best ways to do so. They could certainly offer an intriguing trade package with pieces like Brandon Ingram, D’Angelo Russell, and their top-three draft pick should they keep it after the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery. Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka could potentially have some options to make a huge move this offseason.
