The Chicago Bulls have been off to a strong start this season and Jimmy Butler has been one of the main reasons why and any trade talk with him after the guard turned down a contract extension likely is off because of how valuable he is, while Greg Monroe could be a potential target along with Chris Andersen, Andrei Kirilenko or Dion Waiters after the injuries to Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson.
Butler has emerged as a potential star this season and it comes as he is playing a ton of minutes with Rose in and out of the lineup for the Bulls. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Butler knows that his value is going up considerably and that is one reason why he rebuffed a contract extension offer from the Bulls at the deadline this season. Sources said to the Chicago Sun Times that Butler turned down a four year extension from the team that was worth over $40 million.
Butler has the chance to sign a big deal coming up and he will have leverage as a restricted free agent. The report says that Butler opted to head towards free agency after Klay Thompson signed a four year deal worth $70 million. Butler is averaging 21 points per game this season and he has been playing increased minutes for the Bulls, averaging over 39 minutes per game. Butler was one of the leaders in the league earlier in the season and that has only added value to his future.
Butler has played very well overall, adding 1.62 steals to go along with 6.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game this season and over his last three games he is averaging 26.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists over that stretch. Butler has the chance to get paid next summer by someone and if it's not the Bulls, he is likely to get an offer from someone else. The Bulls likely will not trade Butler this season and while they may get some offers, the team is focused on making a deep playoff run to the finals this year. The team likely will not look at a Greg Monroe deal, but it remains an option at the deadline.
The Bulls are 11-6 this season and first in the central division and they are ranked 13th in the league in scoring offense. The team started off slow with Rose in and out of the lineup, but things have settled in and they now are ranked 11th in points allowed per game after opening up allowing over 100 per contest. The team comes in after a win against the Brooklyn Nets on the road and now they have the Mavericks at home to finish off a long road stretch.
Coming up the team plays some tough games in the month of December and that includes home matchups with three playoff teams from last year in the Warriors, Nets and Blazers. After that the team plays three of four on the road, including against the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies, while the Knicks is the one home game in that stretch. The Bulls are one of the favorites in the league this season and they will have a tough task in the east with teams like the Cavaliers, Raptors, Wizards and other teams looking solid.
