NBA: Jeremy Lin, 15 Players Living Up To 2015 Contracts

NBA: 15 Players Living Up To 2015 Summer Contracts

November 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21, right) dribbles against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23, left) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Bulls 106-94. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

14 of 16

Jan 14, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) shoots from the foul line during the third quarter of the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Chicago Bulls won the game 115-111 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Jimmy Butler

Let’s just get this out of the way now: For everything that Dwyane Wade has accomplished in this league as quite possibly the third or fourth best shooting guard of all time (behind Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Jerry West), there’s no WAY he deserves to be starting in the All-Star Game over Jimmy Butler. Given the breakout season Butler’s had, this is just a simple statement of fact.

The Chicago Bulls are not where they want to be as a team right now, but the front office has to feel reassured that their massive five-year, $95 million extension for Butler was well spent. As one of the best two-way players in the league, the 26-year-old Butler is averaging 22.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game on 45 percent shooting from the floor.

Butler’s three-point percentage (32.2) may have fallen off a bit compared to his last few seasons, but he’s still posting career highs in scoring and assists. As his 53-point outing against the Sixers and his 40-point half against the Raptors showed, Butler is not intimidated by the prospect of snatching the reins of this franchise from Derrick Rose. In fact, the sooner that happens, the better off the Bulls will be.

Next: No. 2