It would be an understatement to say that the Chicago Bulls are perhaps throwing everything including the kitchen sink as the team tries everything to keep Jimmy Butler from leaving.
Butler is a restricted free agent heading into the wild NBA Free Agency period and the 25-year-old swingman is expected to be flooded with offers from other NBA teams.
For their part, the Chicago Bulls have done their part. They have offered Butler a qualifying offer and a max qualifying offer, making it difficult for other teams to equal especially if you talk about a guaranteed $90 million pay check.
After receiving that max contract, Butler had reportedly postponed his string of meeting with teams who planned to make their pitches as last year’s Most Improved Player. Considering the lucrative offer, who wouldn’t?
With that humongous offer on the table, will Butler shun it and walk?
One option that the 30th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft could do is take the one-year qualifying offer worth $4.5 million and become an unrestricted free agent. The thought seems a bit surprising since any player in his right mind would have to be nuts not to take what is on the table.
Coming into play is the upcoming salary cap increase in 2016 which could be one of the reasons why Butler has made it known that he is looking for a short-term deal.
Butler was earlier rumoured to be considering a transfer to the Los Angeles Lakers where he was planning to sign a one-year deal. Unfortunately, CBA rules will make that improbably so he would have ended up settling for a two year deal.
If that would have happened, such would hardly matter. The Bulls can easily match the offer sheet and would actually be cheaper than what the team has placed on the table.
It is very clear that despite the reported rift between Butler and Derrick Rose, the Bulls have no plans of letting him walk easily. From all indications, Butler isn’t going anywhere at least for the coming season as the Bulls intend to keep the team’s best player last season on both ends.
The representatives of Butler and the Bulls are expected to sit down soon to discuss the said offer and work something out and probably reach an agreement.
From the looks of it, Butler will continue to don the Bulls’ jersey moving forward. Teams can try their luck but from all indications, all their efforts and pitches will be futile.