It’s looking less and less likely that the Cleveland Cavaliers will trade for Jimmy Butler, but his lack of interest in other teams hasn’t stopped NBA franchises from propositioning the Chicago Bulls on a trade package. Rumor has it that neither the Bulls or Indiana Pacers are particularly enamored by Kevin Love, the major piece Cleveland wants to include in a potential deal.
But the latest team rumored to want Butler is the Denver Nuggets, who approached the Bulls with a trade offer for the Bulls’ All-Pro on Thursday before the NBA Draft. Denver joins the Minnesota Timberwolves in the market for the 27-year-old’s services as the Bulls continue to mull their options in trading Butler and essentially pushing the reset button on the franchise.
Denver has spoken to the Bulls about Jimmy Butler, source told ESPN. Would include multiple young players, not… https://t.co/ZVJHHy6vOA
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 22, 2017
The problem for Denver is twofold: the report says that Nikola Jokic is off the table, which makes it a bit less likely the Bulls are even interested. And then there’s the fact that Butler was reportedly only interested in a trade if the Cavaliers were a destination. All that changed when the Cavs unceremoniously parted ways with general manager David Griffin just days before the draft.
That move reportedly made the players in Cleveland change course on encouraging Butler to ask for a trade, something that would have made the move more likely. All of this — including a potential Nuggets package — could just be smoke and mirrors. But it’s clear that even without the Cavaliers interest in Butler, there’s a market for the Bulls star this summer.
