There was a fleeting moment on Thursday night where Jimmy Butler had been traded to the Timberwolves — at least in our minds — as Twitter was collectively fooled by a fake news breaking account. It made sense, since rumors of Butler’s departure had been floated all night, and it left us to briefly imagine the conference upheaval that would have had Butler playing in Minnesota. Instead, the false report and no further deals being worked out meant Butler remains in Chicago.
Still, there’s no guarantee that the uneasy compromise to keep the Bulls‘ best player will remain. According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, there’s a push within Chicago’s front office to dump Butler, opting for a complete rebuild with the growing number of young players on the Bulls. Chicago’s efforts to shop Butler weren’t a secret throughout the day, and it surely got back to Butler.
Asking around for your superstar is one thing, but then claiming to the media that you weren’t actually doing that somehow seems to make it worse if you’re the player stuck in the middle of it.
Gar on Butler rumors: “We were in no talks with anybody. There was no discussion during the draft as far as trades.”
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) June 24, 2016
Butler’s trade rumors come just a couple days after Derrick Rose.was shipped to New York. If the Bulls are prepared to clean house, then that was a step in the right direction, with Butler quickly to follow.
But why would cleaning house make any sense as a strategy for Chicago?
It’s true that the Bulls haven’t exactly dominated the Eastern Conference like many have been predicting at the start of recent seasons, and that LeBron James-led rosters have been controlling the Finals appearances from the East for six years now. But Butler is a real superstar player, and the Bulls have him under contract way below market value right now due to the rising salary cap. That’s half the battle. Yet for some reason, Chicago is flirting with starting that step over despite it being an exceedingly difficult one.
With Rose gone and with common knowledge of how Butler was shopped around, his Butler situation really does feel like a ticking timebomb, even if Gar Forman won’t publicly admit to it. How long can one truly expect to survive in those conditions? Butler will have plenty of suitors, even now. If he’s actually dealt hopefully his new team can appreciate him in the way his old team once did.
3 more things from the 2016 Draft
The ballsiest move of the night goes to Sam Presti
The Thunder were a win away from the NBA Finals just weeks ago, and then Presti decided he’d trade the team’s third-best player anyway. Out goes Serge Ibaka, who has declined but also has a very hard-to-match combination of skills. In comes Victor Oladipo, Eysan Ilyasova and draft pick Donatas Sabonis from the Magic.
Tom Ziller wrote in support of the trade.
This deal is a huge shock, and perhaps will throw Durant for a loop in the immediate term. But as long as Presti can sell it to his star, and so long as Durant isn’t already looking to leave for a more glamorous locale, this trade can help the Thunder reach a higher level. Fortune favors the bold, and few take more risks than the Oklahoma City Thunder.
International players ruled the draft
There were 14 international players selected in the first round of the 2016 Draft, from Dragan Bender at No. 4 overall to the surprising Georgios Papagiannis pick by the Sacramento Kings near at the end of the lottery. That’s an NBA record for the first round for international players, although six of those 14 were attending colleges in the United States last season rather than playing overseas.
The NBA brags about being a global game as frequently as it can, but if a record-setting international haul doesn’t prove them right, then what will? Basketball is becoming more globally accessible and more young athletes are attempting to make the move into the NBA, which can only be a good thing.
The 76ers had a fantastic draft night
When you have the first overall pick and can select Ben Simmons, your draft will be good. But Philadelphia didn’t stop there, because Timothe Luwawu slid to them with the No. 24 pick overall and then Furkan Korkmaz was available two spots later at No. 26. Luwawu has great 3-and-D potential and could develop into a go-to offensive option in a starting lineup, especially useful as the NBA continues to evolve. Korkmaz has plenty of supporters, too, as a deadly spot-up shooter who is currently teammates with Dario Saric, a player the 76ers expect to bring over this season. All around, things are looking up for the 76ers for the first time in years.
5 fun things
The Celtics drafted a bunch of international players and their fans are disappointed.
DeMarcus Cousins had the subtweet of the year.
ESPN doesn’t think Steph Curry’s an elite point guard anymore?
Kris Dunn stuntin’ with Gucci and JCPenney.
Cameraman wipes out while backing up and filming.
Every player drafted here
This article was written by Tim Cato from SB Nation and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
