Chicago Bulls: 3 picks from the 2010s we wish would’ve worked out
By Zane Harris
Chicago Bulls draft picks we wish had worked out: 1. Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler was the steal of the 2011 draft after the Chicago Bulls snagged him with the very last pick of the first round.
Coming into the draft, there were not too many teams that high on Butler. He was seen as a solid prospect who did not have any real weakness, however, he also did not have any strengths that stuck out.
Butler was a jack of all trades but a master of none. However, as a result of his nearly unmatched work ethic, Butler has become one of the top players in the entire league.
At the moment, Butler leads his draft class in win shares. This puts him in front of players like Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, and Kawhi Leonard.
He began to show this potential and had his come-up while with the Bulls. After Derrick Rose had his fall from grace due to injuries, Butler stepped up and kept the Bulls afloat.
He worked his way up from barely seeing minutes in his rookie and sophomore season to being an All-Star and playing a career-high 38.7 minutes per game in his fourth year on the team.
However, after four consecutive All-Star seasons with the Bulls, it was clear that the front office was incapable of putting a team around him that could contend for championships or even deep playoff runs.
Along with this, around the time of his departure from the team, he began to get the stigma of being a locker room cancer. This is something that unfairly followed him around until he finally put an end to those rumors with the Miami Heat.
Ready to go into full tank mode, the Bulls moved Butler and a pick that became Justin Patton to the Minnesota Timberwolves in return for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the pick that became Lauri Markkanen.
While LaVine has elevated his game to new heights with the Bulls, it would have been nice to see how Butler’s career would have played out with the Bulls.
Along with this, it would have been interesting to see if the team would have had more success if they kept Butler on the team and the pick would have worked out.