(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CSNNE’s Sherrod Blakely has an update on the status of the Bulls’ Jimmy Butler:
A league source tells CSNNE.com that the Bulls, while still open to listening to offers for Butler, are telling teams that are inquiring about his availability that their plan for now is to keep him in the fold.
And while there was some thought that a top-3 pick coupled with a few decent players might be enough to entice the Bulls to pull the trigger on a deal to trade Butler, CSNNE.com has been told such an offer would have to include at least one “legitimate, NBA starter” for the Bulls to even possibly consider trading him.
“And that might be a stretch,” the source indicated.
Any deal involving Butler to Boston from Chicago’s perspective, would most likely have to include Jae Crowder who is one of the best bargains in the NBA – and will be so for years to come.
With the increased salary cap on the horizon this summer for teams, the five-year, $35 million deal Crowder signed last summer is looking like an absolute steal on the Celtics’ part.
Meanwhile, Butler just completed the first year of a five-year, $92.3 million contract which raises questions if you’re the Celtics as to whether the difference in their salaries makes doing such a deal worth it.
Top 3 pick and Jae Crowder for Butler? Hmm…
I’m no draft expert but I’d be willing to trade this year’s Brooklyn pick if it falls outside the top 2. I’m basing that on the logic that Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram are much better prospects than anyone else in the draft.
Questions surfaced this season about Butler’s leadership skills and overall personality. I still think he’s a phenomenal talent who will always be a notch better offensively than Jae Crowder.
