NBA star Jimmy Butler has been at the center of trade rumors for quite some time now, but has made it clear he prefers to remain with the Chicago Bulls.
There are three times of year during which the NBA becomes even more exciting than usual: the playoffs, free agency and around the trade deadline. The Chicago Bulls have officially entered the latter of those three.
With the 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities behind us, it is time to start focusing on what moves will go down before Feb. 23.
The Sacramento Kings already having started things off by trading big man DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans, seemingly minutes after the All-Star Game wrapped up.
While the Bulls may not exactly be known for their trade deadline activity in the past, there is a chance this year may be different. Because for now, star Jimmy Butler is still at the center of trade rumors.
According to A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast Sportsnet New England:
"While the Bulls haven't set any specific parameters, league executives believe they are seeking some combination of high draft picks and young veterans (players with experience who are either near the end of their rookie deals or have team-friendly contracts) just to consider moving Butler."
Which makes sense.
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Although Butler's trade value has never been higher so Chicago should not take less than a packaged deal in return.
It seems silly to let go of a guy poised to become the next face of the franchise, especially for draft picks who may not pan out, or other young guys who still need to be developed.
It seems as though Butler would help out another team immediately, whereas it would take the Bulls some time to adjust.
Something that could knock the team out of playoff contention all together.
But even so, the organization knows it has to make some changes moving forward. And what better time to do so, than now?
That, coupled with the fact that the Boston Celtics have continuously shown interest in the forward, does open the door for at least the possibility of Butler being dealt.
However, the 27-year-old would like to stay.
"…hopefully, I'm not going to get traded, either. But I don't know. I don't control that. Control what I can control. Like going on vacation."
And on vacation he has gone, perhaps before All-Star Weekend had ended, as he only totaled six points on Sunday night.
Many might ask why Butler wants to stick around when there has been nothing but turmoil within the organization for years now. It's the same reason why it was somewhat surprising when Butler re-signed with Chicago in July 2015.
But despite the front office chaos and locker room drama, there are certainly perks to remaining with the Bulls.
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Like the fact that it has essentially become Butler's team.
And that he has found a best friend and stellar teammate in Dwyane Wade.
Not to mention it is hard to compete with Chicago as both a city and a NBA market.
The basketball world is going to be spinning with trade rumors and scenarios for the next couple of days, and you better believe Butler's name will keep coming up. However, as of right now, there seems to be no real indication one way or another.
So Butler will try not to lose any sleep over it.
"Who knows? Who knows what's ahead? You never know what tomorrow brings. So I'll just lay down, dream, and hopefully wake up the next day."
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Hopefully, in a Bulls uniform.
