Just a few picks into the 2017 NBA Draft on Thursday night, the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves shocked the NBA world by agreeing to a trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Wolves in exchange for Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine, along with a swapping of first-round picks.
Halfway around the world, in Paris, Jimmy Butler was alerted to the news in the middle of the night, and offered no comment at the time. Come Friday, however, he was ready to talk, and he had some things to get off his chest. In addition to his comments about how being the face of the franchise in Chicago got him nothing, Butler also said that he didn't "like the way some things were handled." Via the Chicago Sun-Times:
"It's crazy because there was me talking with guys about Cleveland, then all the outside rumors with Boston, Minnesota, Phoenix, then the feeling that I'm not going anywhere,'' Butler said. "I mean I had so many people telling me what could possibly happen, but I just got to the point where I stopped paying attention to it.
"It's crazy because it reminds you of what a business this is. You can't get mad at anybody. I'm not mad, I'm not. I just don't like the way some things were handled, but it's OK."
As Butler noted, he was the subject of countless trade discussions, and without being privy to any of the inside details or communications between Butler and the Bulls front office, it's a definite possibility that things were mishandled there.
Going back a bit, there was also Butler's accusation that the Bulls' front office spies on players, with the forward supposedly warning the young players on the team about the practice.
We'll never know all the minutiae on Butler's relationship with the Bulls, but it's pretty clear he's not going out on the best of terms.