Chicago Bulls: Don't Trade Jimmy Butler

Why would anybody connected to the Chicago Bulls organization think it is a good idea to trade Jimmy Butler?

Right now the Chicago Bulls are not in a good place. They’re 19-21, and have been putting in substandard performances in recent games.

This was especially evident in the recent loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although the team started well, by half-time they looked like they’d rather be anywhere else.

Between efforts like that, and Rajon Rondo going rogue and giving interesting interviews on the sly, it’s a troubling time for the Bulls. In fact, about the only comforting constant in their lives right now is that this team is the home of two-time All-Star Jimmy Butler.

So why then, as soon as things begin to look bleak for the franchise, do rumors of trading him constantly surface?

Don’t the Bulls see that in having a franchise player, they have the hard part figured out?

I’m completely against trading Butler personally, but let’s look at both sides of the argument to see if it makes any sense to go into a total rebuild.

Dec 8, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) dribbles the ball against San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the second half at the United Center. Chicago defeated San Antonio 95-91. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

We’ll begin with the case for trading Butler to another team, and really that begins with examining the landscape of the rest of the league.

The LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers figure to be the best team in the conference for another three years at least.

Even when James retires, it’s likely Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love will remain on the team, at least initially.

Already that’s a better core than what the Bulls have, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

On top of that, the Boston Celtics look like they have positioned themselves to gradually grow into contender status in the next couple of years.

They were extremely impressive in their come from behind win over the Toronto Raptors the other night, another team that is just better than the Bulls right now.

Even the Atlanta Hawks, who after the Kyle Korver trade and apparent availability of Paul Millsap looked headed for a rebuild, are suddenly on a run and look like a tough out in the postseason.

All of this is to say, even with Jimmy Butler, the Bulls are at best a conference semi-finalist right now.

Of course the addition of another star player would change that outlook, but we know how hard they are to acquire.

So in trading Butler now, when his stock is at an all-time high, the Bulls would get a lot in return.

Forgetting Rondo and Dwyane Wade for a second, this team has some nice young players, as well as a bench with some depth.

Although the team has the worst three-point shooting percentage in the league right now (31.5 percent), they do have reasons to smile when they turn to their bench.

Denzel Valentine had a breakout game against the Washington Wizards, before illness robbed him of a chance to build on that fine game against the Knicks.

Bobby Portis, Nikola Mirotic, Cristiano Felicio and Jerian Grant also make up the bulk of their second unit minutes.

Mirotic provides the spacing, Felicio does the dirty work, with Portis and Grant doing their best to make contributions on both ends.

Even Paul Zipser looked like he could stick around for a bit with how he played against the Knicks (seven points, five rebounds and two assists).

So while trading Butler, most likely to a rival, would be bad, they would have that core and whatever they receive for Butler to build around.

Really though, that seems like a weak argument to me, especially when you consider all that Butler does for this team.

He’s missed the last three games due to illness, and it’s no coincidence the Bulls have lost those contests.

They’ve looked terrible as well, and this is in part because Butler leads the entire league in real plus-minus wins with 8.89. That fact alone is enough to build a case around not trading him, but we’ll keep going.

Butler to me has always felt like a little of Carmelo Anthony, and a lot of Paul George (minus the insane athletic ability before his injury).

Anthony because he’s asked to be the offensive leader of this team and usually delivers, and George because we think of him as a two-way wing who influences the game on both ends.

Butler’s 25 points a game this season is a higher average than George has ever posted (23.1), and it’s right in Anthony’s prime territory too (over 28 points a night with the Denver Nuggets, but he hasn’t reached 25 again in his last three seasons).

He’s also averaging more rebounds than George this season as well (6.7 to 6.2). Butler is about more than just basic numbers though.

His Player Efficiency Rating this season of 25.9 (league average 15) is the highest any of the three players have ever posted in their careers.

Really think about that when you look back at how Anthony was dragging the Nuggets to the postseason and George’s Pacers gave the ‘superteam’ Miami Heat some scares.

Perhaps even more impressive, Butler’s offensive plus-minus of 6.2 is higher than anything Anthony, the offensive maestro, has ever posted either (his is 4.7 back in 2012-13).

Defensively, his defensive plus-minus of 0.4, while not a high number, is the best mark among all three players this season (George’s is -0.4, Anthony’s -1.9).

In fact, Butler has never posted a negative number in this category, while the other two players mentioned have.

It’s not a high mark, but it shows consistency in Butler’s defensive contributions year after year.

Butler has always been durable too, and his 36.6 minutes per game is currently the eighth highest mark in the league. Two seasons ago, that number was 38.7.

It’s clear then that Butler stacks up against, and in many ways surpasses, two of the great NBA players of the last decade.

Anthony will likely go into the Hall of Fame one day, and Butler is already beating him in various statistical categories at age 27.

This is important, because it’s those numbers that will get Anthony into the Hall, and not the amount of championships he’s won.

The Chicago Bulls are one of the league’s most famous franchises, and in Jimmy Butler, they have the kind of star player who makes them exciting.

It’s not quite at the height of Derrick Rose mania, when the team was a contender to win it all. That being said, their roster was more complete then as well.

But Butler is a legitimate superstar in this league, and you don’t just get rid of players of their quality. You do what you can to build around them.

There is no reason at all for the Bulls to move him, it would set their franchise back a huge amount.

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