It's official now, the Chicago Bulls are in a rebuilding process and the team will have to do so without their biggest star since Michael Jordan -- Jimmy Butler. It was reported on Thursday night that Butler is traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the news came out as a shock to every Bulls fan. Just a few days ago, Dwayne Wade announced that he will be staying with the team next season, and fans in Chicago were hoping that Wade and Butler could lead the team deep into the playoffs next season. Obviously, Bulls executive John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman had other ideas since they announced on draft night that Jimmy Butler is leaving the team.
Butler and Thibodeau reunited
The Bulls and the Timberwolves agreed to a deal that will send a three-time All-Star Jimmy Butler to Minnesota, and the Bulls will get Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine and the number seven overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft that the Bulls used to pick, Lauri Markkanen. The vice president of basketball operations for the Bulls, John Paxson, said that this deal is all about building for the future. "We traded a guy we really like. Tonight, we made a decision to change direction and define our path." Paxson said.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler will reunite with his former coach Tom Thibodeau in Minnesota. Thibodeau took over the coaching job with the Timberwolves last summer, after coaching the Bulls for five seasons.
Butler played for Thibodeau four of those five seasons.
Butler was drafted by the Bulls as the 30th overall pick in the 2011 draft and spent all of his six seasons in Chicago. He averaged 15.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game throughout those six seasons with the Bulls, and last year was the best of his career. He averaged nearly 24 points per game in 76 games last season, and he made the All-star team too.
It will be interesting to see how he fits with the Timberwolves next season.
Thank you, @JimmyButler. pic.twitter.com/jlaz9fh4sD
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) 23. lipnja 2017.
What's next for the Bulls?
It appears that Zach LaVine will be the new star in town for the Chicago Bulls. LaVine will be headed to the "Windy City" along with Kris Dunn, and the two of them will form a strong foundation for the Bulls in the years to come.
LaVine averaged 18.9 points per game last season with the Timberwolves, before suffering a torn ACL midway through the season. Dunn was the fifth pick in last year's draft and showed flashes of his potential in 78 games that he played for the Wolves last season. The Bulls organization believes that Dunn has great potential and big upside, both on offense and defense. Only time will tell, and it remains to be seen whether or not trading Butler was something the Bulls should have done.
