Jimmy Butler indicated that he has been in contact with Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade and he believes the trio can make it work on the Bulls, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune passes along in a series of tweets. “Everybody has to sacrifice a little something. We all just to win. They have done it. I want to do it,” Butler said. “But I’m not going to take a step backward because I have new players on my team. I’m going to still be aggressive.” Butler added that expects the pair of veteran guards to hold him accountable on and off the court.
Here’s more out of the Central Division:
- Butler is aware of the trade rumors surrounding him, but he remains focused on elevating his game, as Johnson tweets. “Whoever I play for is gonna get my best effort. If it’s the Bulls, which I think it will be, I’m coming at everybody,” Butler said.
- With Bucks center Miles Plumlee locked up to a new four-year deal, Greg Monroe remains available in trade talks, says ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter links). Stein suggests that Monroe and Kings forward Rudy Gay are two of the NBA’s most prominent veterans known to be on the trade block.
- The Pacers hope newly signed point guard Aaron Brooks will be a more effective passer than Ty Lawson was off the bench, Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star writes. The arrival of Brooks gives the team 16 players under contract and Taylor believes Shayne Whittington, whose contract won’t become fully guaranteed until August 1, is the player most likely to be waived.
- Kay Felder had an impressive Summer League and Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders believes the No. 54 overall pick has a real shot at making the Cavs‘ roster. Felder averaged 15.3 points and 3.9 assists over seven games this summer.
- Keith Langlois of NBA.com examines how the Pistons were able to revamp their collection of small forwards over the last 13 months. The team drafted Stanley Johnson in the 2015 draft and acquired Marcus Morris last offseason before trading for Tobias Harris this past season.