Bulls News: Rumors on Jimmy Butler's Team USA Invite and Summer League Update

It's been one heck of a summer for Chicago Bulls star Jimmy Butler.

Per ESPN.com's Marc Stein, Butler is one of a handful of stars who have received an invitation to play for Team USA in the 2016 Olympics.

This is obviously a huge honor for Butler, but the Bulls and their star must decide if playing in the Olympics is in the best interest of the player and his team. Butler routinely played an inordinate amount of minutes under former head coach Tom Thibodeau.

New head coach Fred Hoiberg figures to pull back on Butler's minutes a bit, but the extra basketball that Butler would have to play might cancel out the extra rest. We'll have to wait and see whether the Bulls try to discourage Butler from playing or if they will encourage it the way they did with Derrick Rose at the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

Per Stein, camp would run from August 11-13 in Las Vegas at the campus of UNLV. Because the Bulls have struggled with injuries to most of their best players over the last four years, everyone involved should proceed with caution.

Summer League Update

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The Bulls blew a late lead on Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets and fell 87-86 in their final NBA Summer League tilt. Second-year forward Doug McDermott closed out summer play with a 19-point performance. He missed all three of his three-point attempts and shot an abysmal 10 percent from downtown in three games.

McDermott did lead the Bulls in scoring in Vegas, but primarily, the team will need him to make his outside shots consistently.

McDermott is supposed to help space the floor and complement Rose and Butler. He can't do that making 10 percent of his threes. Hopefully, McDermott can find the range through training camp and the preseason.

Bulls rookie Bobby Portis began strong, but he struggled to find the basket in his final two games. On Tuesday, Portis had nine points and 10 rebounds. He only made four of 10 shots. Still, his ability to knock down the three, run the floor and maintain energy should be an asset for the team.

In the video below, Portis and McDermott talk about their summer league experience:

In three games, Portis averaged 12.3 points and 7.7 rebounds. Chicago would be thrilled if it got that type of production from Portis once the games really count.

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