Jimmy Butler Reiterates Desire To Stay With The Chicago Bulls

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls have been somewhat of a mess this season. Along with seemingly not living up to expectations after bringing in Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, the team has consistently been linked to rumors of possibly trading star forward Jimmy Butler.

Although Butler could’ve been dealt before the NBA trade deadline last month, the Bulls stood pat, and now it appears he doesn’t want to go anywhere. Butler has said this once before, but he seems to be sticking by it moving forward, via Sam Alipour of ESPN:

“Yes. I can’t see what tomorrow will bring, but I love it here. You know, they took a risk on a kid that was not very good with the 30th pick in the 2011 draft, so I feel like I owe the city the little amount of talent that I have on that basketball court. I love it here. I love these people. I want to be here.”

Despite Butler’s stance to want to stay with the Bulls for the rest of his career, there’s a chance the team could choose to start from scratch next season. Butler could very well be back on the trading block this summer if the Bulls brass feels they can’t get over the top in the Eastern Conference.

Wade’s future with the team is also up in the air. There’s no telling if he values money or winning another championship at this point. If he determined to win another or at least put himself in the best position to do so, it may be a wise decision to leave Chicago this summer, but he’ll be leaving $23.8 million on the table in Chicago. He won’t get that elsewhere, especially not on a contending team.

The outcome of the 2016-17 NBA season for the Bulls will be telling in terms of the immediate future of the franchise. The team could very well start over or simply give it another try next season.