The Chicago Bulls are struggling at the moment and they could potentially miss the playoffs. The bickering between the players does not help their cause. Rumors now have surfaced once again regarding the availability of Jimmy Butler.
According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, rival executives believe that the Bulls and the Boston Celtics will negotiate a trade before the February 23 deadline regarding Butler. It should be noted that the two teams tried to make a deal last June but the Celtics believed that Chicago was asking too much.
The rumored assets that the Bulls wanted for Butler include small forward Jae Crowder, point guard Marcus Smart and the two first-round picks from the Brooklyn Nets in 2017 and 2018. Now that "Jimmy G. Buckets" is playing out his mind, his value is at an all-time high.
Johnson pointed out that Butler's caliber usually gets traded around the NBA draft because of the position of the picks involved. But the Nets' picks are almost assured of a high position because Brooklyn is the worst team in the NBA this season.
"Butler could be in line for a five-year, roughly $230 million extension in 2018 that would begin in 2019-20 should he qualify for the designated player exception. Trading a player of Butler's stature typically takes place near the draft, when draft positions are known and projected picks slotted," Johnson wrote.
These are just purely speculative at this point since the Bulls held a team meeting over the weekend to talk about their differences and issues. It worked since they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday in convincing fashion, per NBA.com.
However, the real test for the Bulls' chemistry is coming on their current road trip. They visit the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors in their next four games.
The Bulls are probably on a wait-and-see scenario until the February 23 trade deadline before making any big moves. Besides Butler, the Bulls are also reportedly open to parting ways with Dwyane Wade, per ESPN.
Wade is currently playing good basketball but Butler is more valuable of the two. If the Bulls would want to rebuild, they are better off doing it around Butler rather than the 35-year-old Wade. Check out the video below to watch Butler score a career-high 52 points against the Charlotte Hornets.