NBA Rumors: Chicago Bulls Take Jimmy Butler Off The NBA Trade Market

Jimmy Butler will remain with the Chicago Bulls for the foreseeable future. NBA teams who were hoping to add Butler in a trade had a small window to engage the Bulls with an offer. And after not receiving an offer they liked, the Bulls stopped entertaining the idea of a Jimmy Butler trade.

According to Real GM, the Chicago Bulls have taken their all-star guard off the trading block. It is questionable whether Jimmy Butler was ever on the market at all. But like most teams do, the Bulls’ front office of Gar Forman and John Paxson took calls in regards to the availability of their best player.

Trying to gauge the value of any team’s best player is a difficult proposition. It is safe to say that after getting named an NBA all-star twice and landing a spot on the United States Olympic team, Jimmy Butler is a top-15 player. Because he plays both ends of the floor, that only increases his value. A 20-point scorer and an all-defensive team candidate is a category usually reserved for LeBron James. It would have taken getting a lot in return for the Bulls to trade him away. The Bulls had to do something in order for the NBA trade rumors to cease.

Bulls Pull Jimmy Butler From Trade Market: https://t.co/9p9DIS6lE5 pic.twitter.com/ORmUGHu9yE

— RealGM (@RealGM) July 12, 2016

NBA rumors about the Bulls trading Jimmy Butler had been flying left and right with a different one seemingly every few hours. Just as recently as a day ago did an NBA rumor get started from a tweet by Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.

So took part in Sports Business School CBA 401 class today – group of students paired with an "expert" – my group pulled the Utah Jazz

— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) July 11, 2016

That was just the beginning tweet which eventually would lead to a story that would take on a life of its own.

Purpose of the exercise was to analyze the roster, create a short term and long term plan for the team – as "expert" I played role of owner

— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) July 11, 2016

Steve Kyler would detail how certain trade proposals would be brought to the table. First, he started with a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. Kyler would then craft a deal with the Boston Celtics, sending Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz to Boston.

During the exercise we were approach by the Celtics group trying to pry Gordon Hayward with a bad offer centered on Jae Crowder – we passed

— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) July 11, 2016

What followed was his idea of a trade involving Jimmy Butler. Once Steve Kyler added his proposal with the Bulls, his Twitter timeline got out of hand.

We approached the Bulls group with an offer of Gordon Hayward, Dante Exum and Rodney Hood for Jimmy Butler — Bulls group passed

— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) July 11, 2016

Instead of reading Kyler’s entire timeline for the day, the rumor of Jimmy Butler on the move to the Utah Jazz was floated out. A simple exercise in cap and team management went awry.

The Chicago Bulls should have officially taken Jimmy Butler off the trading block after the NBA Draft.

On the night of the NBA Draft, the Bulls taking phone calls on Jimmy Butler stole the night. CSN New England confirmed that the Bulls had talks with the Celtics. The trade would have centered around Butler and two of the Celtics’ first round picks.

The other possible trade report came from ESPN. Marc Stein reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves were aggressively pursuing a trade for Jimmy Butler, using guard Kris Dunn. Nothing materialized with the Bulls trading Jimmy Butler. In fact, things have changed.

It was once believed that the Bulls were looking to retool, perhaps even undergo a rebuilding process. That was until NBA free agency worked in a way that the Bulls did not expect. By landing both Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo in free agency, the Bulls went from being a fringe playoff team to one that may threaten to be one of the top four seeds in next year’s postseason.

Moving Jimmy Butler would be nonsensical at this point. If certain things work in the Chicago Bulls’ favor, they could be a dark horse in the Eastern Conference. Going forward, the Bulls have a few trade pieces they can use to add a player of significance near the trade deadline. Not only will the Bulls have their first round draft pick, but they may also have the Sacramento Kings’ pick as well.

At this point, with NBA free agency beginning to start its down period, do not expect the Chicago Bulls to explore a trade of Jimmy Butler. It is not as if the Bulls were openly looking to move Butler in the first place. Now that he is off the trade market, the Bulls can continue to focus on improving their team even more.

[Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images]