On the heels of the news that the Chicago Bulls plan to retire the No. 1 jersey famously worn by 2011 NBA MVP, Derrick Rose, The Franchise That Michael Jordan Built has the chance to honor the era of another former star. Should the Miami Heat actually trade Rose’s former teammate, Jimmy Butler, he’d be more than a sentimental acquisition for Chicago.
As an organization, the Bulls have been stuck in limbo for nearly a decade. Chicago had won at least half of their games every season from the time that they drafted Rose to the time that Butler departed. In the eight seasons since the Marquette product was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, they’ve only been above .500 once (2021-22).
It hasn’t been as bad as the years immediately after Jordan retired, when Elton Brand and Jalen Rose took over. Nonetheless, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic –like Brand and J. Rose –underwhelmed since becoming the Bulls’ cornerstones. The Bulls have given them every chance to transform the organization to no avail.
Will Bulls Bring Jimmy Butler Trade Full Circle?
Fortunately, Butler — who the Bulls moved in 2017 to acquire LaVine –is the type of player Chicago needs to reestablish themselves as a formidable team.
Trade Value
If the Bulls are willing to surrender Josh Giddey, Patrick Williams, and Lonzo Ball, they’ll have a fair chance to acquire him. For all of the talent that the six-time All-Star possesses, teams don’t appear to be offering their finest trade packages for him, and for myriad reasons.
Firstly, Butler could become a free agent in the offseason, leaving the team that trades for him high and dry. Secondly, while his feud with Pat Riley may be good for TV, it could scare off contenders who like to sail on calmer waters. Lastly, his trade value is inherently affected by him being an injury-prone 35-year-old.
Jimmy Butler’s Fit
Chicago only needs Butler around for a good time, not a long time. Whether he re-signs is less important than him arriving and boosting the Bulls’ odds of making a playoff run. If Chicago can acquire Butler without trading LaVine or Vucevic, that’s a definite possibility.
LaVine and Vucevic playing some of their best ball right now. On top of that, the Bulls have invested in the young Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. Add Butler to that quartet and they’re cooking with hot grease. Right now, Chicago’s primary issue is that they aren’t stopping other teams, their opponents scoring 121.1 points per game against them (29th in the NBA). If there’s one thing Butler can be counted on to do it’s defend at a high-level.
Offensively, the Bulls would have to replace plenty of playmaking with Giddey and Ball. However, Butler knows how to make the right play and can fill some of that void. At the very least, he’s a more dependable scorer than them, which could help them remain efficient even if there’s less ball-movement. With that in mind, in the playoffs, having a player like Butler is more important than Giddey or Ball anyways. A team can pass the ball as well as any and still not score. To do that, they have to put the ball in the hole.
Butler has averaged 21.1 points per game for the Heat in the regular season. He’s been even better in the postseason, averaging 24.7 points per game.
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