Jimmy Butler reportedly growing wary of Bulls' front office
Chicago star Jimmy Butler reportedly didn't love it when Gar Forman said the team would "explore all options" this summer.
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At the end of the regular season, Chicago Bulls general manager Gar Forman chose not to declare star swingman Jimmy Butler untouchable, instead saying that the front office had to "explore all options" after the Bulls' disappointing season. As you can imagine, Butler, who signed a five-year, $95 million contract with Chicago last summer, was not thrilled about that, via the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson:
That comment didn't sit well with Butler, sources said, merely adding to his growing wariness regarding Forman that stems from Butler feeling slighted during failed negotiations on his rookie extension. Butler ultimately rejected the Bulls' four-year, $44 million offer, won Most Improved Player honors for 2014-15 and signed a five-year, $92.3 million deal with a player option for the final season last July.
In the Bulls' defense, they are under no real obligation to declare that Butler is sticking around. They missed the playoffs, and there was a report that Butler's teammates didn't like him getting preferential treatment. It's extremely unlikely that Chicago will be able to get anything close to equal value for him, but exploring the trade market isn't crazy.
The problem, though, is that the front office might have been too honest. There were already rumors that they would consider trading Butler, and the comments from Forman -- and vice president John Paxson, who said that Michael Jordan is the only untouchable player he's ever been around -- added fuel to the fire. Butler is 26 years old and on a contract that already looks like a bargain because of the rising salary cap. If he wants Chicago's executives to strongly dismiss the idea that they could trade him, that is understandable.
This offseason is an important one for the Bulls, who could look significantly different next year. Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah will be free agents, and the team should try to assemble a roster that reflects coach Fred Hoiberg's personality. Ideally, Butler, Forman and Paxson will be on the same page for all of this, since he is theoretically Chicago's franchise player. It appears that there is serious work to be done there.
