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Dallas Mavericks: Why They Should Test The Bulls For Jimmy Butler

By Cole Mentzel

Jan 23, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) passes around Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler (6) during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) passes around Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler (6) during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Dallas Mavericks are set up to be major players in free agency once again. This season, they will try to appeal the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan, both near the top of their positions.

We’ve already seen Mavs players such as Dirk Nowitzki hint that he “would love to have him here” with here being Dallas but could the Mavericks be focusing on the wrong players this offseason?

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We know that Rajon Rondo will not be back next season due to his tumultuous ending with the Mavs last season. We also have a pretty good idea of Monta Ellis‘ stance this offseason: he is expected to opt out of his deal and become a free agent, while the Mavs are not expected to pursue him.

So that leaves the Mavericks’ point guard and shooting guard positions empty, besides bench players.

So why would they be trying to sign a power forward when they already have Dirk Nowitzki or another center when Tyson Chandler would be willing to re-sign? The simple answer is because the players on the open market this summer have crazy amounts of talent and it’s there’s a legitimate chance they could end up in Dallas.

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The Mavericks need to take a different approach though. They already have a power forward and they can easily sign back a good center so they need to focus on their backcourt. The point guard and shooting guard classes are very slim this summer so the Mavs need to focus all their attention on creating a well-balanced team.

Of the top five point guards on the market this summer, four are either unrestricted or have a player option and the other is Rajon Rondo. Of the top five shooting guards on the market this summer, all five are either unrestricted or have player options. That’s going to make both of those positions hard for the Mavs to upgrade at if they wait too long.

There isn’t really anyone in the point guard class who stands out and the Mavs have had lots of success with lower-caliber point guards in the past. The shooting guard position is where is gets interesting. This position is currently the hardest position to find elite talent at in the NBA right now.

That’s why, for all the reasons stated above, the Mavericks need to go all in for Jimmy Butler this summer. Butler is currently 25 years old and is going to be a restricted free agent this summer. Recent reports say he will be looking for a short-term offer sheet this summer and he might not be back with the Bulls due to tension with the franchise.

The Lakers are one of the teams expected to offer him a max deal but if the Mavs decide to chase him instead, they could also offer the max.

So the next question revolves around whether or not Butler would be worth ditching Aldridge and Jordan for. If you look at Butler’s stats and his play, then you will realize that it is more than worth it, however, it is highly likely that the Bulls are going to match any offer that is thrown at Butler. They can’t let talent like that get away.

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    • There could potentially be a few issues with the Bulls plan to match any offer that comes Butler’s way. The first problem is that they have to keep money open for other players in the coming years to keep their team competitive. The next problem could come in the form of Butler himself.

    He hasn’t exactly seemed like he is all-in on the Bulls future with Fred Hoiberg as coach and an injury-prone Derrick Rose.

    Butler has expressed interest in living in other cities. The Bulls can’t avoid to become tied up with a huge contract for a guy that doesn’t necessarily want to be there. The last problem comes in the form of how big the contract is. The Bulls want to give Butler a long-term contract but he wants a short-term contract where he can get more money when the salary cap rises again in 2016-17.

    However, it’s still hard for me to see the Bulls not offering Butler a contract which makes it hard for the Mavericks to get him. DallasBasketball.com writer David Lord suggested the Mavs attempt to sign-and-trade Butler for Ellis this summer, in the event that Butler says he doesn’t want to be back in Chicago which makes a lot of sense but would be incredibly difficult to accomplish.

    The bottom line is that it’s going to be really tough, if not impossible, to get Jimmy Butler away from the Bulls but it’s definitely something the Mavs should attempt, or at least look at. Remember, everyone thought the Rockets would match Chandler Parsons offer sheet with Dallas last summer.

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