Knicks Rumors: New York Must Make Big Offseason Play for Jimmy Butler

The New York Knicks would bolster their prospects of contending in the near future immensely by stealing Jimmy Butler from the Chicago Bulls this offseason.

Butler will be a restricted free agent in the summer. Although the Bulls have the power to match any offer an outside team puts forth, New York has the type of salary cap leverage to offer Butler a friendly deal, with the hope that he takes his talents to the Big Apple to team with Carmelo Anthony.

Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy told Bleacher Report recently that the Knicks, along with the Los Angeles Lakers, ought to be big players for Butler:

A number of factors come into play as to why Butler could walk. More of it has to do with what's unfolding in Chicago, not least of which is the fact that there's a lot of basketball to be played between now and the end of the playoffs.

Since Derrick Rose didn't make an effort to recruit Anthony to the Windy City last summer (h/t ProBasketballTalk.com), it'd be interesting to see if he could handle another prospective max-contract player on his own team for the long haul. Rose hasn't been too keen on the idea in the past.

If Chicago wants to upgrade its roster in other areas like the frontcourt, there's reason to believe Tony Snell could plug in as the next ultimate bargain, swingman extraordinaire in Butler's stead.

Snell has come on strong as of late and has such a cheap contract that runs through at least 2016-17, per Spotrac.com.

Without Butler, the Bulls defeated Cleveland on the road in their last game before the All-Star break. ESPN's Dave McMenamin made an interesting observation about Snell:

Kelly Scaletta of Bleacher Report highlights how effective Snell has been overall since cracking the main rotation:

Butler has evolved rapidly, now leading the Bulls in scoring amid his third NBA season. The amount of touches he commands takes away from Rose's game to a degree.

At least Rose has expressed support for Butler as the latter has come into his own, benefiting to a degree from the time Rose was sidelined with injuries.

"It helped, but he's always been in my corner and wanted me to do well, both when he was hurt and now that he's playing," said Butler of Rose, per the New York Post's Tim Bontemps. "Derrick just wants to win. He doesn't care about fame or the spotlight being on him. That’s what you want in a teammate."

Is that a long-term fit in Chicago, though? Rose was quite adamant about not wanting to play with Anthony, an idea that could have feasibly helped the Bulls win a lot more.

The Knicks should jump all over that angle—and Anthony should be the main pitchman.

Based on how the current nightmarish season has unfolded in New York, Anthony has to realize he needs serious help, and landing Butler would be an improvement over any of his recent sidekicks, starring J.R. Smith and a waning Amar'e Stoudemire.

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Anthony has the strength to move up to power forward, which would be intriguing in the triangle offensive framework the Knicks are hoping to have installed with success. Butler's versatility to play the 2 or the 3 affords New York a lot flexibility with regard to how it can build the roster moving forward.

That Butler has managed to notch over 20 points per game this season with an explosive scorer at point guard in Rose is a testament to just how far he's come. Thus, it's reasonable to expect similar production and for his ability to space the floor to open up cleaner looks for Anthony.

The addition of Butler would also aid point guard Jose Calderon's ability to live up to expectations, as his expensive salary cap figure will be difficult to deal with two remaining years on his contract. Calderon can thrive with superior talent at his disposal, and Butler's defensive tenacity makes up for Calderon's shortcomings on the perimeter on that end of the floor.

Of course there is also a strong chance New York will land one of the top two picks in the 2015 NBA draft, which it can use to boost its frontcourt with either Duke's Jahlil Okafor or Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns.

What the Knicks lack at the moment is scoring, ranking 29th in the Association in points per contest. Either Okafor or Towns would thrive with a trio of Butler, Anthony and Calderon in the starting five.

And New York would still have enough cap room to chase after, say, LaMarcus Aldridge, who hasn't totally written off fleeing Portland for the bigger-market Knicks.

The bit about Aldridge is pure speculation. By landing Butler as the centerpiece, though, New York could set off quite a chain of events that could lead to a surprisingly drastic turnaround from this year's cellar-dwelling squad.