The NBA trade rumors are reaching a crescendo as we approach the All-Star Weekend. This could be a chance for players to come together.
Jimmy Butler has been the face of the Chicago Bulls since Derrick Rose was injured most of the time, until the former MVP was eventually traded. Now the reins were supposed to be handed to Butler. However, the Bulls surprisingly acquired Dwyane Wade from the Miami Heat.
But Butler and Wade hit it off. There were no ego clashes and they actually bonded together as the senior statesmen and leaders of the team. The problem is, the younger players took sides with Rajon Rondo, the "other star" that the Bulls acquired last summer.
It may be the time for the Bulls' front office to decide on whether they should build around their veterans or go on full rebuild.
In a report from David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune, he mentioned that "the management team of It began with the Tribune reporting last week that Bulls vice president John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman will keep their jobs after this season, no matter what. That alone serves as a mandate to rebuild. Given Bulls roster realities, the urgency to start over outweighs the need to squeak into the Eastern Conference playoffs as the No. 7 seed."
If they want a rebuild, the best way to do it is get high draft picks. The Brooklyn Nets are the worst team in the league and their draft pick will likely be swapped to the Celtics. It's a worthy target for the Bulls.
However Haugh also mentioned: "Reports indicate the Celtics won't trade the rights to the Nets' 2017 pick, likely to be a high one, but perhaps that thinking will change in the coming days. Deadlines tend to alter philosophy and spur action."
The Celtics are about winning now and that's probably their promise to Al Horford during free agency. They should try to get a star to pair with him.
On the other hand, the Bulls should also stop posturing, as Charles Barkley mentioned on NESN. On the question of trading Butler for the Nets' 2017 pick swap and unprotected 2018 pick and another player, the outspoken TNT analyst responded:
"First of all, anybody who wouldn't make that trade just don't know anything. You got to start rebuilding. ... The Bulls are not going to be any good in the next couple years. So you need to start that rebuild as soon as possible. So, yeah, you make that deal ASAP if you get a chance to do it," Barkley said.