It would be a surprise if Pau Gasol is on the Bulls next season, posits K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link), and the latest remarks from the All-Star big man seem to back that up. Gasol said after the trade deadline that the way the team played in the season’s final two months would affect his decision about whether to re-sign this summer after he opts out to hit free agency, and he conceded after Thursday’s loss that the Bulls have staggered to the finish, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com relays. The Bulls, for their part, aren’t as intent on re-signing Gasol as they were in February, Johnson wrote last week.
“Nothing is set right now,” Gasol said. “Definitely, I will evaluate what I need to when the time comes. But the way the team has responded to adversity and the way we finished up the season has not been so far great, and it’s been disappointing. So at the end of the day, when the time comes, I will evaluate things. It’s hard to finish the season like this. It’s not finished, but we’re in a very, as we know, extremely difficult position, so everything will be thought of and considered.”
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- Jimmy Butler is the last guy the Bulls want to trade, if they make a trade at all this summer, according to the prevailing thought from inside the team, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Chris Mannix of The Vertical earlier heard that the Bulls appeared to be considering the idea of trading Butler.
- The Bulls will probably look to draft a point guard this summer after changing their plan to do so last year when Bobby Portis fell to them at the No. 22 pick, Johnson writes. Still, coach Fred Hoiberg doesn’t think Butler is better off when incumbent point guard Derrick Rose isn’t on the floor, as Johnson relays. “We’ve gone with Derrick to finish off some games and obviously Jimmy to close out a lot,” Hoiberg said. “When they have played together, it’s basically whoever has the better matchup or whoever has it going. We’re obviously a better team when Derrick is out there.”
- Butler hasn’t shown the leadership befitting the five-year, $92.34MM contract he signed last year, but it makes more sense on a practical level to trade Rose than it does to trade Butler, the Tribune’s David Haugh opines.
Sixers or Celtics are the two main teams that can make a trade for Butler that instantly helps the Bulls fuel a rebuild.
Celtics Picks – 4th, 17th, 22/23 + 2s
Celtics Trade Assets – Thomas, Bardley, Smart, Crowder
Sixers Picks – 1st, Lakers Top-3 Protected, 22/23, 27th
Sixers Trade Assets – Embiid, Okafor, Noel, Saric
I don’t see the Celtics parting with the 4th overall or the Sixers parting with the 1st overall in any scenario.
That said – Celtics: Crowder & Thomas/Bradley/Smart + 17th and 22/23 picks for Butler
– Draft Denzel Valentine SG
– Draft Diamond Stone C
Sixers – Okafor + Landry, Lakers Pick, 22/23, 27th for Butler
– Draft Tyler Ulis PG or Taurean Prince SF
– Draft Isaia Cordinier PG or Melo Trimble PG
That’s a lot for 1 player
Maybe, but he’s one of the top SGs in the game. Top 4 in scoring behind Harden, DeRozen, Thompson. 2nd in rebounds behind Harden. 3rd in assists behind Harden and Wade. T-2nd in steals behind Ariza. T-2nd in blocks behind Oladipo. He’d bring instant credibility to the roster. And he’s already locked up 3 more years below current MAX.
Just a reminder, no guarantee the Lakers pick goes to the Sixers!
The Celtics aren’t trading Thomas in a Butler deal…that would defeat the purpose of trading for Butler in the first place. A deal centered around Crowder Smart/Bradley and picks is probably the more likely scenario.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Rose comes back next year and has a better year than Butler. Hoiberg wants to play fast & Butler has a slow down ISO game very similar to that of Melo where he holds the ball for way too long on the shot clock. All season long media has force-fed Butler as a superstar, but he is not a superstar. He’s a very nice 2nd-3rd tier Star or Alpha 2 or 3….but he is NOT the talent that Rose is. He doesn’t have the dynamic playmaking ability & is a vastly overrated defender. It’s pretty laughable that this idea is being force-fed that the Bulls need to build around Butler.
I would agree that he is not the nucleus. However, he is pretty much like a supercharged Luol Deng or Andre Iguodala, a “glue guy” who can help win games when the chips are down. He’s very valuable and if the Bulls found some true scorers for him to pass the ball to, he probably would buy in a bit more. Right now, he is the only consistent ‘go-to’ guy on the team, and that includes Rose, who has been very streaky this year. Rose needs to stay within 15 feet of the basket, and Butler plays in that space well also. What the Bulls need is a knockdown guy, and management seems to think either Mirotic or McDermott will become that guy.
So, good luck with that rebuild GarPax. If your core is now Butler/Mirotic/McDermott/Portis, and you are stuck with Rose, not sure how you build through the draft, you are going to have to convince some big free agents to come to Chicago. Afflalo would be a good addition, and allow Butler back to his natural 3. But he ain’t gonna draw double-teams. They need someone that can’t be given an easy shot, so the others above will get some instead of having to battle.