The Chicago Bulls have started the season with a very disappointing 21-21 record in the NBA Eastern Conference. The team has not lived up to expectations despite signing free agents Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade in the off season. The two guards were supposed to be paired with franchise player Jimmy Butler in order to form a "big three" but the experiment has been a complete disaster. Rondo was benched recently because of his poor, uninspired play, and has already seemed to have punched his ticket out of Chicago. Wade has been okay, but he is clearly not the same player he was when he was winning championships with the Miami Heat.
This trio was doomed from the start because they are all ball dominant guards who can't really shoot the ball consistently. The team is currently in the 8th and final spot of the playoff standings, and they might need to make some changes if they want to move up. Rondo seems like the clear candidate to be moved, but recent speculation has Jimmy Butler on the trading block as well.
Butler on the move?
Jimmy Butler is having a breakout season this year and is averaging career highs in nearly every statistical category. The problem is that the Bulls aren't winning so the team may be prepared to make a few changes to its roster before the NBA trade deadline. Even though Butler is the franchise player, the Bulls may be ready to move on from him and start rebuilding again.
He would bring lots of value back to the team if he were to be traded away.
There have been a few teams linked to Butler recently including the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Timberwolves have a lot of young intriguing assets, and there's also head coach Tom Thibodeau (who has coached Butler previously when he was the coach of the Bulls).
That familiarity may be enough for Jimmy to allow a trade to Minnesota to go through. Philadelphia, however, seems to be the favorite to land Butler because of what they have to offer in return.
Major NBA trade scenario
The Chicago Bulls have been rumored to want a high draft pick in this year's draft in order to part ways with Jimmy Butler.
The 2017 NBA draft is supposed to be loaded with talent and the Bulls could use the pick to start rebuilding the team immediately with an up-and- coming young stud. Fortunately for Chicago, Philadelphia has the ability to provide them with that, along with other valuable assets.
The proposed trade between the two teams would send a 2017 first round pick, Jahlil Okafor, and TJ McConnell to the Bulls in exchange for Jimmy Butler. This trade would allow Chicago to start its rebuilding process, while also filling in current holes on the roster. Philadelphia would then have its own "Big Three" with Butler, rising star Joel Embiid, and this years #1 draft pick Ben Simmons. The Eastern Conference landscape would also be changed because the Sixers would become instant contenders for a playoff spot. The trade deadline is next month, so the teams will have to make a decision on this scenario rather quickly.
