Chicago Bulls: Will Jimmy Butler be Traded?

With Gar Forman and John Paxson returning to the Chicago Bulls for the 2017-2018 NBA season, will that lead to the team trading Jimmy Butler?

Over the course of the past month, there had been speculation that the Chicago Bulls would need to make an important decision regarding the long-term future of their organization.

The decision revolved around the tandem of general manager Gar Forman and executive vice president John Paxson and All-Star forward Jimmy Butler.

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Dating back to when the Bulls decided to part ways with Tom Thibodeau at the end of their 2015 playoff run, there had been a growing rift between Butler and the front office. Butler was team Thibodeau while the front office, for obvious reasons, was not.

The tension between Butler and the team’s front office has led to the Bulls’ star speaking out against the organization on multiple occasions. Butler refers to his commentary as being leader while , in truth, it is a team’s star player expressing clear frustrations with the motives of the front office.

The decision that the Bulls need to make is whether the organization should side with Butler or the team’s front office. What is clear is that the two sides cannot co-exist for the remaining four-years that are on Butler’s contract.

With Wednesday’s report that the Paxson and Forman are remaining in place after this season, does that suggest that the team will trade Butler?

That question is difficult to answer.

The goal for the Bulls since trading Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks last summer has been to get younger and more athletic. Clarifying their approach, the Bulls’ front office wants to rebuild the team while contending at the same time.

There lays the issue with the Bulls trading Butler. Butler is the sole reason why the Bulls are even contending for a playoff spot this off-season. Remove Butler from this team and the Bulls are a team that could very well end up with a top-5 selection in the 2017 NBA Draft (lottery balls be damned). For as inept as Forman and Paxson are in the front office, even they must realize that they need Butler in order to accomplish their long-term objective.

Related Story: What can Chicago Bulls expect in return for Jimmy Butler?

Therefore, the fact that Forman and Paxson are returning next season is not an indicator that the Chicago Bulls will trade Jimmy Butler.