Chicago Bulls, Jimmy Butler Far Apart on Contract Extension
The Chicago Bulls have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA. Thus, there aren’t many scenarios in which a single fracture in the rotation would make-or-break the future of the organization.
In many eyes, one of the few pieces who simply cannot be lost is shooting guard Jimmy Butler.
According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, the Bulls are still negotiating with Butler on a new deal.
For what it's worth - Bulls and Jimmy Butler's camp still talking - not astronomically far apart - more about structure of the deal than $
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) October 31, 2014
K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune reports the opposite: the two sides are separated by a substantial amount of money.
As of last night, Bulls and Butler had roughly $2.5M gap annually. That's a lot to make up in one day but deadlines force all on table.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) October 31, 2014
In what’s expected to be a four-year contract, that’s a difference of roughly $10 million.
While it’s important to evaluate every contract situation as an isolated entity, what other players make inevitably comes into play. That’s no different with Butler, who’s one of the league’s premier defensive shooting guards.
Earlier today, the Utah Jazz handed shooting guard Alec Burks a four-year deal worth $42 million. That matters.
Burks is a fine young player who can score, but Butler is a player who’s tasked with a bigger role on a team with higher expectations. Most notably, he’s the leading perimeter defender on the league’s No. 1 scoring defense from 2013-14.
The 6’7″ 25-year-old averaged 13.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.9 steals in 38.7 minutes and was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2014.
The good news for Chicago is that, with the extension of a qualifying offer, Butler would become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2015. Thus, it could match any contract offer he receives.
Unless a deal is struck soon, Butler will endure that dreaded fate.