Jimmy Butler Proving He's Worth Any Cost to the Chicago Bulls

A surprising storyline emerged during Chicago Bulls training camp, nearly overshadowing the endless wind about Derrick Rose’s fragile body: Jimmy Butler’s contract negotiations.

Butler and the Bulls didn’t end up getting a deal done, and now the fourth-year shooting guard is heading into restricted free agency in July 2015. With the way he’s playing lately, the Bulls' front office is likely ruing that future day.

Through November, Butler’s looked the part of an All-Star.

Averaging 20.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, Butler has been the Bulls’ most important player so far this season—especially when we consider he’s still the team’s best perimeter defender, too.

His numbers are in the arena of Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, who recently signed a four-year, $70 million extension. So if the rumors about what kind of money Butler was seeking were true, the Bulls could have had him at a real bargain.

The Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson tweeted on the final day of contract eligibility that Butler wouldn’t say no to a four-year, $50 million deal. The Bulls, apparently, weren’t willing to make such an offer.

This is not to say the team won’t happily pay him that kind of money—or more—later on. The Bulls can still negotiate with Butler in July. But if the $12.5-million-a-year figure is real, they did miss their opportunity to lock him down at a discount price.

With the new $24 billion TV deal, the NBA is about to undergo a major money influx. Butler is a hot commodity: a young, surging player with a terrific attitude who plays a position that’s generally weak across the league.

Depending on how receptive he is to other teams come summertime, Butler could easily see offers exceeding $15 million per season.

The Bulls, of course, weren’t without reason in their approach to the negotiations. Butler’s offensive explosion was somewhat unforeseeable—the University of Marquette alum struggled to score throughout his 2013-14 campaign. He shot just 40 percent from the field, including an anemic 28 from beyond the three-point arc.

There’s a good chance the Bulls’ front office wanted to see Butler prove himself before shelling out a big contract. If that’s the case, the team will surely have its checkbook ready seven months from now, so long as he continues his current productivity.

According to USA Today’s Sam Amick, Butler is confident about both his money and the Bulls’ title chances:

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Butler has long since found his way, and he's convinced the Bulls (8-5) will do just that by the time the end of this season rolls around. When asked last week if this is a championship team, even with the recent rash of injuries, Butler told USA TODAY Sports, "Hell yeah, it's a championship team. We're going to win that (expletive).”

"

If the Bulls do win the Larry O’Brien Trophy, it will be in no small part because of their rising star. Butler has created a new identity for himself as a scorer this season, eschewing the simple jump shots for a more creative outlook.

As coach Tom Thibodeau put it after Butler torched the Atlanta Hawks for 17 fourth-quarter points in a preseason victory, Butler is “more of a scorer than a shooter.”

"

I took all my Jimmy Butler criticism and threw it in the toilet last week while I was away, by the way. He's great.

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) November 21, 2014"

Like the player the Bulls targeted and missed out on this summer—Carmelo Anthony—Butler is getting buckets in a style that exceeds mere marksmanship. Boasting a devastating pump fake and sly off-the-ball movement, Jimmy is now looking like a schematic ace.

He’s also much stronger than most players assigned to guard him and increasingly shrewd with his recognition of mismatches. His 7.1 free throw attempts per contest—good for sixth in the league—are proof in that regard.

Bulls fans should be encouraged by this output because what Butler is doing is probably sustainable so long as he’s healthy. He’s not relying on a hot hand so much as a smarter, bolder approach.

He’s giving the Bulls exactly what they need through 13 games and has Chicago crossing its fingers over the possibility of him doing it for years more to come.

Quotes gathered firsthand unless stated otherwise.