The NBA trade rumors continue to rumble with Jimmy Butler news as the Chicago Bulls may finally pull the trigger on a full rebuild.
They made the big splash last summer by trading their former MVP and hometown hero Derrick Rose, they thought they could make some headway.
They had a good start but the problems started to unravel. The trio of Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler may not be working out as they expected, but is a trade the solution?
The Rajon Rondo trade rumors naturally came about after the former All-Star was benched by Bulls Coach Fred Hoiberg. The surprise came when Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report also claimed that the Chicago Bulls are listening to offers for Jimmy Butler.
Wade has a player option he can exercise at the end of the 2016-17 season and his statements to ESPN may serve as a warning for the Bulls' front office.
"At the end of the year, you sit back and see what the team is, what direction they're going in," Wade stated. "I would be a liar to say that I want to play on a team with all 21-year-olds. You know what I mean? And be a part of the future building. I would be a fool to say that. But you also want to be in the best position for what you think is for you at that time, too."
Wade became very specific. "One of the main reasons I'm here is Jimmy. He's the one who called me and got me to come here. So that's a big part of my decision and everything else, is what Jimmy's doing, what his future looks like and all that. And I've made it very clear. So I have no idea from that standpoint. You just have to wait and see and then see what works out."
The offers will come but many pundits agree that the Bulls will make a big mistake if they trade Butler. But one way to please Wade is to bring in his old buddy from the Miami Heat. No, it's not LeBron James.
A separate ESPN report from Marc Stein had the Bulls supposedly "plotting a run" and being "first in line" for his services. But Wade is not aware of that as CSN Chicago reports.
"Who came up with that? I don't know. I play with the Bulls and I don't even know that," Wade said in Atlanta before their road game against the Hawks. "That's news to me, he's one of my good friends. The biggest thing with Chris is the same thing, you know, is his health. He's not even playing basketball right now. He's going to continue on his health and I think that's what he's doing."