NBA Rumors: Chicago Bulls Must Offer Jimmy Butler Max Contract in Offseason
If the Chicago Bulls are going to win a championship in the next couple of years, they are going to need Jimmy Butler on the roster.
Keeping him will be easier said than done considering he will be a restricted free agent after the 2014-15 season.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune passed along the latest rumors that emanated from the Butler contract negotiations: “Jimmy Butler’s agent told the Tribune before the Bulls game with the Cavaliers that Butler rejected a final offer and that stance didn’t change. Sources said the Bulls offered a multi-year deal averaging $11 million during lengthy, cordial conversations.”
The new NBA television deal is on the way, and the salary cap will likely rise dramatically. Butler will be a part of that market, but the Bulls can match any offer he receives because he is a restricted free agent.
Chicago should simply get ahead of the curve and offer him the maximum that it can this offseason.
Magic Johnson certainly agrees with that notion:
The goal is to win the championship every season, especially in a market like Chicago, and the Bulls need talented players like Butler alongside superstars like Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah to do just that.
There is some good news from Chicago’s perspective in the impending negotiations, though. Butler seems to really want to stay in the Windy City, via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times: “People say I’m chasing money when that’s not it — yeah, get your mic closer — that’s not it, because I’m going to be in Chicago. I’m not worried about it. I say that with a smile on my face because I know that for a fact. We’ll resume [negotiations] in July.”
Last year, Butler posted nightly averages of 13.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.9 steals and did a little bit of everything on the floor. However, his overall value extends far beyond the stat sheet, especially given the way the Bulls roster is orchestrated.
Just look at how much Chicago struggled to defend LeBron James in overtime of its Friday night loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Without Butler on the floor, who just so happens to be one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, Mike Dunleavy, Kirk Hinrich and Tony Snell had to guard James.
The King carried his team to victory with little resistance in the extra period.
Butler is the one who guards the likes of James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant and Paul George on a nightly basis for the Bulls. He is Chicago’s version of Kawhi Leonard, who won the most recent NBA Finals MVP guarding James after he contained Durant in the Western Conference Finals, and anchors Tom Thibodeau’s stifling defense.
At 6’7” and 220 pounds, nobody on the Bulls roster has the combination of size and athleticism that allows Butler to stay in front of the elite players in the NBA.
All Butler did in his season debut on Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves was win the game with two free throws with 0.2 seconds remaining. He remained calm and collected in the clutch and helped the Bulls pick up a victory without the likes of Rose or Taj Gibson.
The Bulls are incredibly deep with Rose, Noah, Hinrich, Pau Gasol, Gibson, Doug McDermott, Dunleavy and Aaron Brooks, among others, but there is no true shooting guard outside of Butler in that group. Hinrich is a bit undersized, and Dunleavy and McDermott don’t really have the athleticism to play at Butler’s overall level on both ends of the floor.
Butler may not be the best player on the roster, but the argument can be made that he is the most important given the other pieces and his overall defense against the opposition’s best player every night.
Chicago is a serious NBA title contender, especially in the Eastern Conference (assuming Rose stays healthy). However, the Bulls are going to need Butler this year and in the long-term future if they are going to counter the Cavaliers and other top-notch teams and take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time since Michael Jordan retired.
The defensive specialist deserves a max contract. If Chicago wants to win a title, it needs to come through in negotiations.
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