The NBA world is currently consumed by the Jimmy Butler Saga.
The Miami Heat star has been suspended by his own team multiple times, and an exit from South Beach seems inevitable.
Meanwhile, the league’s non-Butler suitors—of which there are many—have their own trade issues to sift through as the Feb. 6 deadline approaches. For the Chicago Bulls, that means the futures of Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, and to an extent, Lonzo Ball, Torrey Craig and Jevon Carter.
What is certain (right?…) is that Butler won’t be returning to Chicago, the place where his NBA career began.
That didn’t stop one insider from allowing the Bulls to get swept up in the mess, however, as one cog in a five-part machine that gets Butler from Miami to his desired destination.
Bulls get Bradley Beal, first-round pick as part of 5-team Jimmy Butler trade
Bobby Marks of ESPN explored the Butler situation in depth and came up with eight different deals that could get the 35-year-old out of Miami.
One of those trades involved Chicago, but Bulls fans wouldn’t exactly be happy about their involvement if this move indeed came to fruition. Marks’ trade looks like this:
Phoenix Suns receive: Jimmy Butler, Delon Wright
Miami Heat receive: Ryan Dunn, Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, 2029 first-round pick, 2031 first-round pick swap with Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks receive: Zach LaVine
Washington Wizards receive: MarJon Beauchamp, 2031 second-round pick (via MIL)
Chicago Bulls receive: Bradley Beal, 2027 first-round pick (less favorable of Cleveland, Minnesota, Utah)
The most obvious and significant part of this deal is Miami sending Butler to his preferred destination in Phoenix. In return, the Heat get a rookie with legitimate 3-and-D potential in Dunn; a pair of what will likely become late first-round picks; and Middleton and Portis from Milwaukee.
The Washington Wizards get involved on the periphery, but Chicago would be most concerned with essentially swapping LaVine for Beal and a first-round pick that will likely end up in the late 20s.
Would that be a wise or poor decision by the Bulls’ front office?
Grading the trade for the Bulls
It’s not often that simple stats tell the whole story, especially in the complicated world of NBA trades. This, however, is one of those cases:
- Zach LaVine 2024-25 stats: 39 games, 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 51/45/82 shooting splits
- Bradley Beal 2024-25 stats: 30 games (23 starts), 17.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 49/39/75 shooting splits
- Zach LaVine contract: $43 million in 2024-25; $46 million in 2025-26; $49 million player option in 2026-27
- Bradley Beal contract: $50.2 million in 2024-25; $53.7 million in 2025-26; $57.1 million player option in 2026-27; full no-trade clause
As Marks’ story concerns the Heat and Butler finding a way to move on from each other, he doesn’t touch on Chicago’s part in the deal. But frankly, there’s not much to say anyway; the Bulls would be trading for the more expensive but less productive player for the price of a very late first-round pick two years from now.
