Chicago Bulls Rumors: Should They Trade Jimmy Butler In Offseason?

In what has turned out to be a disappointing 2015-16 campaign, should the Chicago Bulls explore trading Jimmy Butler during the upcoming offseason?

The Chicago Bulls won their second straight game when they defeated the Houston Rockets 103-100 on Thursday night. Even more important, they moved within one game of the Indiana Pacers for the eighth spot in the conference playoff race.

It is also worth noting that Derrick Rose played just 12 minutes due to a hyper-extended elbow. But Rose’s recent injury is not the only piece of news circulating in the world of Bulls basketball.

According to Chris Mannix of The Vertical, the Bulls could be interested in moving Jimmy Butler during the offseason.

"“I’ve been hearing rumblings that there is legitimate interest in Chicago in potentially dealing Jimmy Butler this offseason.”"

At 38-37, this season hasn’t been what the Bulls had hoped for. Additionally, with the possibility of Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah leaving via free agency, will the Bulls look to shake up the roster, starting with exploring trade offers for Jimmy Butler?

The Good

Prior to the start of the season, Butler signed a five-year deal worth approximately $92 million. And up until he sustained a knee injury against the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 5, Butler proved that he was worth every penny, averaging at least 20 points per game through the first four months of the season.

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Along with that, there were instances when Butler put the Bulls on his back and led them to victory. One example that supports this assertion occurred in a game against the Toronto Raptors back on Jan 3.

In that contest, Butler scored 42 points, enabling the Bulls to overcome a 15-point deficit to edge the Raptors 115-113.

How significant was Butler’s performance?

Well, his 40-point outburst in the second half broke a Bulls’ scoring record for points scored in a half previously held by Michael Jordan, who scored 39 points in the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks in 1989.

Another example of Butler’s ability to rise to the occasion took place against the Philadelphia 76ers less than two weeks later.

With both Rose and Gasol sitting out, the Bulls somehow found themselves in danger of losing to the lowly Sixers, but thanks to Butler’s impressive stat line of 53 points (15-for-30), 10 rebounds and six assists, the Bulls came out on top 115-111 in overtime.

"“That’s as good of a performance as I’ve seen,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said, via ESPN. “The guys hopped on his shoulders, and he carried us home. Play after play, it was an unbelievable performance.”"

So not only has Butler been the team’s best defender over the past few seasons, he has also become the Bulls’ top scorer in the process. Of course, every story has two sides, and this scenario is no exception.

The Bad

Taking Butler’s contributions at both ends of the court into consideration, why would the Bulls be interested in trading their best player? Mannix provided this interesting tidbit.

"“Grumblings range from Hoiberg’s inability to hold players accountable – a complaint registered publicly by Butler last December and one that lingers in the locker room today, a source said – to Butler’s shoddy shot selection to the disconnect within the team offensively.“Take Tuesday, for instance. Chicago will take the win, but the Bulls scored five points in the final nine minutes, a stretch highlighted by possessions with few passes and forced, contested shots.”"

While Butler’s desire to assume a leadership role can be viewed as positive, publicly calling out your head coach is not the best way to do that.

If there is still some kind of a disconnect between the coach and star player, that could be a potential stumbling block moving forward. Another reason why the Bulls would consider trading Butler is concern over his knee injury. Although Butler mentioned that he didn’t think that the injury would require offseason surgery, he hasn’t played at the same level that made him a two-time All-Star since returning to the lineup.

Over the last 11 games, Butler is averaging just 14.9 points per contest while connecting on 42 percent of his attempts. Needless to say, it’s never a good thing when a team’s best player is struggling during a stretch where every game has playoff implications.

Final Analysis

In the world of sports, winning cures all ills while losing creates rumors and speculation. Whether or not this story has any merit to it remains to be seen.

What is a fact is the Bulls were advertised as a championship-caliber ball club coming into the season, and they have fallen short of those expectations. Having said that, this team needs a new identity, which means that significant changes will be made during the offseason.

The question is, will those changes involve moving Butler if the front office receives favorable compensation in return? After all, both the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics expressed interest in acquiring his services prior to the trade deadline, and reports have recently surfaced that their interest hasn’t wavered.

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However, let’s keep in mind that the Bulls fired a coach whose teams won 65 percent of its games during a five-year span and that decision has not yielded great results. If the Bulls are smart, they won’t compound that mistake a year later by trading away their top scorer and defender.