Jimmy Butler and the Bulls have had their share of ups and downs. Most recently, the star forward has found himself in the middle of a locker room split as he and Dwyane Wade were highly critical of the team’s effort, which led to a scathing Instagram post from Rajon Rondo directed at Butler and Wade.
Butler has also had problems with the way the Bulls brass has handled things at times as well. According to the Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times, Butler has warned new players about the spying done by general manager Gar Forman and the front office on players in the locker room when they talk negatively about the team.
Butler, as well as several other Bulls players, have also had issues with the “spying’’ that goes on in the locker room, with Butler warning new players that if they didn’t want Forman to hear criticism, don’t talk in front of certain assistant coaches like Randy Brown.
The belief is that the Bulls love to gather as much ammunition as they can on players, so they can win the press conference when the break-up comes, whether it’s a trade or free agency.
“They did it with Lu [Luol Deng], they did it with Jo [Noah] and Derrick [Rose],’’ a source said. “That’s how they operate.’’
This story came out in the wake of a report from ESPN’s Ryen Russillo that Butler was told by the front office back in 2014 that if he didn’t sign a contract extension, he would lose out on playing time in favor of Tony Snell. Butler said he couldn’t remember anything about that, and said it “ain’t y’all business anyways.”
He insisted that his relationship with the Bulls front office is currently fine, calling it “professional,” but it’s clear that the frustrations in Chicago go a bit deeper than just the struggles that have happened on the court recently.
