Chicago Bulls: No better time than now to trade Jimmy Butler, begin rebuild
The Chicago Bulls have more to gain from trading Jimmy Butler to the Boston Celtics than doing nothing and remaining stagnant.
In light of the news that the Boston Celtics traded out of the No. 1 spot in the draft, swapping with the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 3, speculation about a possible Celtics trade for Jimmy Butler ramped up. After all, Boston’s been linked to Butler for more than a year now, and this move could be seen as a preliminary stockpiling of assets before making a run at their target. Also, the Chicago Bulls reportedly wanted to trade Butler to the Sixers for the third-overall pick, which Philadelphia rejected.
Might the stars have finally aligned for Butler to be dealt to the Celtics at last? If so, the time has come for the Bulls to let this trade happen. They’ll be better for it. Here’s why.
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Don’t kid yourself: there’s no window
As mentioned before, it would be easy to look at last year’s surprise success in Games 1-2 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs’ opening round and think the Bulls, given health, could compete with the squad they had last year.
Realistically, that would not be true. Even if the Bulls had knocked off Boston, the Washington Wizards probably would’ve put a stop to them. And Cleveland? Let’s not even get into that.
Plus, with Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo past their prime and aging another year, what can the Bulls really expect from them? Can Chicago survive another year with Butler and Wade taking turns wasting the shot clock? Can the Bulls wait until next March for “Playoff Rondo” to show up while he hibernates throughout the season?
As always, the question remains: can you win a title with Jimmy Butler as your best player? The recent trade offers the Bulls have made suggest that they don’t. Therefore, why keep running this back just to continually fight for the 8th seed in the playoffs? And, if they let him go, Wade and Rondo will likely head elsewhere as well, allowing them to begin a true, honest rebuild.
After two years of stagnation with no true end in sight, that’s arguably what the Bulls need the most.
Stocking up for the future
And if the Bulls want to rebuild, then what better way than to nab picks from the asset-rich Celtics? In addition to getting the third pick, the Bulls could have potential access to a horde of Celtics draft capital. Boston could offer Sixers’ 2018 pick and either a Los Angeles Lakers 2018 pick (if the Lakers have pick between 2-5) or a 2019 Sacramento Kings pick if the 2018 Lakers pick is somewhere other than 2-5.
After years of picking in the mid-first round due to “good but not good enough” records, this could be a solid investment for the Bulls. Those picks could land them solidly in the top-ten of those drafts, giving them an opportunity to land true difference-makers. And that doesn’t even account for the Bulls having a chance to draft Josh Jackson or De’Aaron Fox, who could seize the point guard role if Butler is gone and Rondo doesn’t return. If they’re interested, there’s always the chance Lonzo Ball falls to them at #3 as well.
Assuming their high first-round picks develop into good players, that’s far more valuable than holding onto aging Wade and Rondo.
Trading Butler buys hope they don’t currently have
Also, believe it or not, trading Butler and running headlong into the future could help John Paxson, Gar Forman, and possibly Fred Hoiberg keep their jobs a little longer. How much longer can the Chicago Bulls’ brass keep pushing this idea of being “just one player away” from being title contenders and getting away with it?
Eventually, the mediocrity will catch up with them. Even if they made the playoffs next year, it will only put off the inevitable. Unless this team gets a true championship-caliber star, this ship will soon founder spectacularly if the Bulls continue this path of “retooling”, not “rebuilding”, this roster. I’m talking “bottom-five of the East” failure possibly within two years. And if they haven’t traded Butler by that point after essentially admitting they don’t see him as that championship centerpiece? No one will be spared.
Trading away Butler and stocking up for the future, much like what may well be transpiring with the Chicago Bears, provides hope that the Bulls organization simply doesn’t have right now. Sure, it might mean a painful season or two, but it would be a sign that Paxson and Forman might actually have a direction that intends to steer in.
Next: Targets for Bulls in draft if they trade Butler for No. 3
The Chicago Bulls have come to the “put-up-or-shut-up” point. Either they can cut their losses and start over, or they can stubbornly cling to their vague, ill-founded hopes. One path could fail. The other already has failed and will only lead to further ruin.
Their position on Butler now seems clear, trading him looks like the only sensible route for the Bulls if the Celtics are willing. Work on the logistics and get it done. Otherwise, there won’t be any hiding when the front office purge comes.