Maybe the Chicago Bulls weren’t crazy after all

Once upon a time, the Chicago Bulls potentially mortgaged their future by trading Jimmy Butler. Were they crazy, or was the writing on the wall?

This week has been quite the turn of events for former Chicago Bulls and current Minnesota Timberwolves star Jimmy Butler. A year ago, the Bulls traded Butler out of the Windy City. It seems like that trade happened a whole lot longer ago than just 16 months. But, here we are.

The Timberwolves were supposed to be a Western Conference powerhouse with the addition of Butler. They had landed arguably the best two-way player in the game next to Klay Thompson. For all they knew, they were getting a humble kid who excelled on defense but had developed the ability to score in the clutch.

That thought was partially true. The humble part? Well, let’s just say I’m not quite sure where Butler’s heart is at. This week, Butler apparently told the Timberwolves he wanted out. Not only did he want out, but he gave Minnesota three specific teams he had in mind.

What are those teams? Well, surely they would have to be teams where Butler could win, right? I mean, he’s the ultimate competitor, right?

Not so fast.

Butler reportedly told the Timberwolves he wanted to go to either the Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets or New York Knicks — none of which have any shot to win a title anytime soon.

How did we get here? What happened? Let’s examine both where we were at pre-trade, immediately after the trade, and the events happening this week.