Should Jimmy Butler be traded by the Chicago Bulls?

There is a report that the Chicago Bulls are open to trading Jimmy Butler in the offseason. He and coach Fred Hoiberg have clashed, and one way to speed up their rebuild would be to trade Butler and receive a nice package in return.

A Chicago Bulls’ season as shockingly bad and surprising as this season has been just had another shocker — a report came out stating that the team is open to trading All Star guard Jimmy Butler.

Butler is finishing up the first year of a five-year, $95 million contract. That salary looks to be a bargain when the new salary cap explodes this summer and salaries will get ridiculous.

Butler is just 26 years old, so he is in his prime, so why would the Bulls trade him?

This has been one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory for the Bulls. After firing Tom Thibodeau as their head coach and hiring an offensive mind like Fred Hoiberg to lead the team, many thought the Bulls could challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.

Instead, however, they are on the outside looking in on the playoff race. The offense has not been consistent, and the defense has gradually gotten worse as the season progressed.

Now the expectation is that the Bulls will have a massive rebuild this offseason. They have the contracts of Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol that are ending (Gasol has a player option but he will most likely not exercise it), and with the salary cap increasing, they can have some space to make some moves.

A way to quickly do the rebuild is to trade Jimmy Butler, as incredible as that may sound.

Butler has had a bad season, filled with injury (does that sound familiar with the Bulls?). As I mentioned, his salary would be a bargain, so trading him would make no sense, right?

Not so fast.

In addition to the tough season on the court, Jimmy Butler has invited controversy. There were reports at the end of last season that he and Derrick Rose did not get along (both denied it, but the team and Thibodeau denied their rift as well and we know how that finished).

This season, Butler went public with his criticism of Hoiberg, calling his coaching style soft.

“I believe in the guys in this locker room, yeah,’’ Butler said. “But I also believe that we probably have to be coached a lot harder at times. I’m sorry, I know that Fred’s a laid-back guy, and I really respect him for that. But when guys aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do, you gotta get on guys, myself included. You gotta do what you’re supposed to do when you’re out there playing basketball.

“It’s on everybody. But I just think when it’s coming from [Hoiberg], it’s a lot different. It’s different when a player is telling another player and a coach is telling a player. I know it’s really not in him, but I think at times that’s what we need.’’

Jimmy Butler has also had troubles with other teammates as well.

ESPN’s Nick Friedell spoke on this earlier in the season:

"I don’t think that the tension between Jimmy and Derrick was ever as bad as it was made out to be. But the tension now, moving forward off the Derrick talk for a second, between Jimmy and other players in that locker room is bad.Because you can’t just say, “I signed this new deal. I’m the leader.” That respect has to be earned over time. Nobody is questioning Jimmy’s work ethic. He’s worked his tail off. But they are questioning whether Jimmy can be the leader that this group needs with so much turmoil going on around them."

"You talk to anybody within that Bulls organization, and they’ll tell you that Jimmy has changed. His personality has changed."

Now, in order for the Bulls to trade Jimmy Butler, there will have to be an offer that would blow them away. They know what they have in Butler and will not just give him away.

One potential place Jimmy Butler could go is Los Angeles. Last offseason, he flirted with Los Angeles, hanging with Mark Wahlberg and talking about how much he loves Los Angeles.

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The Lakers could package players D’Angelo Russell (his recent transgression notwithstanding) or Julius Randle with draft picks. I am not sure that is enough, however.

The first move the Chicago Bulls should make is to sit Jimmy Butler with Hoiberg and see if their relationship is beyond repair. Also, Butler has to accept that Thibodeau is not there anymore. He likes to quote Thibodeau, but Thibs is not one who should be brought up at the Berto Center.

Hopefully, if Butler’s relationship with the coach and his teammates are salvageable, the Bulls should keep him. This is a season that went bad in a hurry, and people should not overreact. Yes, a lot of this was caused by Butler’s attitude, and if he can understand that he had a hand in this, then things could calm down and he could remain a key member of the Chicago Bulls.

Next: Chicago Bulls Should Start Doug McDermott Not Mike Dunleavy

Going ahead, the Bulls are better with Jimmy Butler than without him, no matter what offer is presented to them.

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