Jimmy Butler traded to the Chicago Bulls
Wait, what?
I’ve created an alternate universe in where the Chicago Bulls‘ front office planned a coup to get all the great assets out of Minnesota and then to get Butler back for players the Bulls don’t even want.
In this deal we see the Wolves swapping centers with Robin Lopez for that Gorgui Dieng contract, acquiring nice young assets in Bobby Portis and Justin Holiday, and also a role-playing big man with Cristiano Felicio.
The best part of this deal are two unprotected first over next three summers (2019 and 2021).
Both of those picks would be really solid additions for Minnesota, who’ve really only been offered a lot of first from teams that are top-eight teams in the league, Houston specifically.
The question Chicago has to ask themselves is where do they match up in the East if they make this deal?
What does a lineup of Kris Dunn, Jimmy Butler, Jabari Parker, Lauri Markkanen, and Wendell Carter Jr. with Zach LaVine as a potential sixth man leave the Bulls in the East over the next few years?
If not much besides a lot of cap debt, it leaves them in a great place of having the potential to blow it up with tons of assets.
In reality, this won’t happen at all, like there is zero chance this deal happens because Chicago would take Derrick Rose back before Butler, so don’t fret over this one.