Chicago Bulls news: Is Jimmy Butler trying to get himself shipped out of Chicago?

With the circus swirling around the Chicago Bulls, could any of these leaks and rants be Jimmy Butler‘s way of getting himself shipped out of Chicago?

When it comes to dysfunction, Chicago has it down pat. For example, look at the Bears. The circus appears to be permanently settled at Halas Hall. The Chicago White Sox don’t seem to know if the team is coming or going (though they appear to be getting things together). Also, let’s not forget that it took the Cubs 108 years before they finally won another title. Now the Chicago Bulls throw their hat in the ring of crazy.

Things have steadily been going down for some time now with the Bulls. Cracks showed when Vinny Del Negro was the coach. Those cracks opened more when Tom Thibodeau took over. The relationship between the players and management always was tense, going back to the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen days.

The last week, however, things really went to Crazytown. Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler went off on their young teammates. The teammates fired back. And to top it all off, Rajon Rondo was the voice of reason.

Reports surfaced about Butler not trusting the front office. Apparently, some say the Bulls’ front office tried to limit Butler’s minutes in an attempt to lower his free agent value.

This is a pretty wild rumor. If true, why does it leak now? Could it be that Butler WANTS the Bulls to ship him away?

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Butler did not confirm the reports, but he did deny them either. Over the course of the past two seasons, he’s been outspoken in his criticism of both his teammates and his head coach, Fred Hoiberg. He called Hoiberg soft. Furthermore, he’s called out his teammates as being undisciplined and unmotivated to work.

When Butler was a free agent after the 2014 season, he spent his time around other cities and celebrities, most notably Mark Wahlberg. The problem for him, though, was that the only way he could get a big payday was through the Bulls. Because of that, he stayed in Chicago.

Now, he has his big contract. He can go anywhere and still make that money. He could be trying to help the Bulls make the decision to trade him.

The whispers of a Butler trade actually started at last season’s trade deadline. At that time, there was talk the Bulls would listen to offers. This was after his tirade against Hoiberg. Many dismissed those rumors.

The whispers got louder in the offseason. The Bulls had a chance to start over after trading Derrick Rose and letting Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol leave through free agency. After a disastrous rookie season as coach (not helped by Butler’s words), Hoiberg needed a clean slate. There was a deal on the table that would ship Butler to Boston for the number three pick in the draft and other players.

The Chicago Bulls had a chance to start over after trading Derrick Rose and letting Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol leave through free agency. After a disastrous rookie season as coach (not helped by Butler’s words), Hoiberg needed a clean slate. There was a deal on the table that would ship Butler to the Boston Celtics for the number three pick in the draft and other players.

The Bulls backed off at the last minute. Instead, they decided to keep Butler. As a result, he is popping off even more and, surprise, the rumors linking Butler to Boston return. Remember, the Celtics have another top-three pick (from the Brooklyn Nets).

Next: Three Bulls players who should be traded

Butler better start speaking up some more if he really wants to seal his exit from the Chicago Bulls organization.

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