USA TODAY International Edition
Bulls guard Butler brushes aside talks of trade
NEW ORLEANS Jimmy Butler speaks his mind, and sometimes, he concedes, it causes him trouble. But he’s open and honest when asked questions, which is refreshing in the world of playerspeak that often devolves into tired clichés and little substance.
But Butler isn’t too open about his view on the chatter that he could be dealt by the Chicago Bulls before Thursday’s trade deadline. Well, that’s not entirely true. He shared an opinion when asked Friday during media day for the NBA All- Star Game. It just seemed a little subdued.
“I don’t know if I deserve to be traded. That’s not in my job description,” he said. “I’m just here to play basketball to the best of my ability. If I’m here, I’m here.”
The fact that Butler’s name is mentioned in trade talks seems strange. He is the best player on this year’s Bulls team and is having his best season as a pro.
He’s putting up 24.5 points, five assists and 6.3 rebounds for a team that, with a 28- 29 record, is viewed as underachieving. He’s in the third year of a five- year, $ 95 million contract, and it would seem like the team should be building around him instead of thinking about moving him.
“Nothing I can do about it,” he said when asked if there’s talk about trade rumors. “Control what you can control. Why talk about it? Why worry about it? If you’re here, you’re here. If you’re not, you’re not.”
Fair enough. But what if he did get moved? Where could he go? While there should be several teams lined up for Butler’s services, one that might be at the top of the list is the Boston Celtics, who are second in the Eastern Conference but who could be facing serious competition in their quest to unseat the Cleveland Cavaliers at the top.
The Toronto Raptors just pulled off a deal for Serge Ibaka, and the Washington Wizards are playing the best ball of any team in the East since early December.
If Butler were to go to Boston, he would give the Celtics solid defense at the three or four spot as well as boost the offense, helping out their lone All- Star, point guard Isaiah Thomas.
All this would be fine, though, if Butler was willing to concede his team is out of it. That’s not the case. Even with that losing record, the Bulls are seventh in the Eastern standings.
“I think we’re in a decent spot,” he said. “We’re in the playoff now. We could be a lot better.”