Chicago Bulls To ‘Explore All Options’ Including Trading Jimmy Butler

USA Today

The Chicago Bulls will miss the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2008. The once-promising team built around Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler has turned into an afterthought in the Eastern Conference with a lot of uncertainties heading into the offseason.

One of the most pressing questions in Chicago currently is what does the future hold for Butler. Although Butler recently re-signed with the Bulls, the team could look to trade him over the summer.

Bulls general manager, Gar Forman, didn’t deny the trade rumors circulating the league about Butler. Forman basically admits anything is possible and no one on the team is untouchable, via Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago:

“We’ve got to explore all options and I don’t think there’s anything that’s off the table when you have a disappointing year like this. With that said, obviously Jimmy has had a fantastic year. From where he was to where he’s gotten to, he’s become a very, very valuable player for us.”

Drastic changes may be on the way for the Bulls with Butler potentially playing elsewhere next season. Butler will be an intriguing trade piece for Chicago with there likely to be plenty interest in his services if he’s officially on the trading block moving forward.

Along with Butler, Pau Gasol may also be headed out of town this summer. Gasol will opt out of his contract with the team to secure another long-term deal in Chicago or elsewhere. All signs appear to be pointing to Gasol’s departure as well as the team potentially starting over from scratch.

Butler and Gasol are legitimate All-Stars and could be missing pieces to the championship puzzle for teams around the league. It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out as the Bulls try to right the ship or aim to start over through the NBA Draft.