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Chicago Bulls sold low on Jimmy Butler, but the trade had to be made

By Dan Schmelzer

Apr 2, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) reacts against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) reacts against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Chicago Bulls did not get great value when they traded Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night. However, it was a move that undoubtedly needed to be made.

Well, that’s it. No more obsessing over trade rumors or dreaming up huge packages that the Chicago Bulls can pry from the Boston Celtics for Jimmy Butler. Just prior to the 2017 NBA Draft on Thursday night, the Bulls made a big move; sending Butler (and their 2017 16th overall pick) to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine and the 7th overall pick (Lauri Markkanen).

Make no mistake about it, this trade needed to happen. Butler is a fantastic two-way player, but he is not the centerpiece of a championship contending team. Also, at 28-years-old, Butler will no longer be in his prime when the Bulls could possibly be ready to compete. They simply had to get value for him while they still could.

That being said, it is okay to be underwhelmed by this return. I am too. Dunn has an interesting skill set who Minnesota took fifth overall just a year ago, but he was awful as a rookie. LaVine is an athletic freak who has a nice offensive game, but he has never made a defensive impact and is coming off of a torn ACL. Markkanen is a seven-footer who can shoot from the outside, but he is extremely raw and does not play up to his size.

Simply put, the return is uninspiring. The Bulls sold Butler at 50 cents on the dollar, but they had to do it. Keeping him around without hope of building a contender did not make any sense.

The Bulls wait a year too long to trade Butler and it is going to cost them in this upcoming rebuild. They undoubtedly could have got more for Butler at this time last year and instead thought they could compete with the “Three Alphas”. The combination of Butler, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo was never going to work and we all knew it at the time.

The Bulls should now dive head-first into a complete rebuild. They need to see what they have with the young players on the roster, and honestly, it will probably not be pretty. However, at least the organization will have some direction.

Next: A deep look at Bulls' draft pick Lauri Markkanen

Being stuck in mediocrity was not doing this franchise any good. They need to find a way to win their seventh championship, not worry about putting a decent enough team on the court to sell a few tickets. Rebuilding from the ground up is the best plan of attack.

Believe it or not, the Chicago Bulls are closer to that championship now than they were prior to the draft. The rebuild is here and we need to embrace it.

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