Jimmy Butler and the Chicago Bulls were not able to come in to terms on a new contract extension before the October 31 deadline which means that Butler will be headed for restricted free agency next summer. The Bulls have the right to match any offer sheet from any of the 29 teams that will try to pry the budding swing man away from Chicago.
"The Bulls offered a multi-year deal averaging $11 million during lengthy, cordial conversations" to Butler according to according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, but Butler's camp believes that they can get more next summer when they hit the market. And they might be right as there is an existing trend in the league of making huge offers to to good, but imperfect, players.
Per Grant Hughes, National NBA Featured Columnist, of Bleacher Report:
Gordon Hayward is a solid young talent, but he's not great at any one thing. He got a four-year, $63 million offer sheet the Utah Jazz had to match. Klay Thompson is playing out of his mind in the young season, but his player efficiency rating has never been above the league average of 15.00 in any year. He got a four-year max deal at the deadline. There's a precedent for spending big on potential, and Butler still has plenty of that.
With that being said, it might just be right for Chicago to offer Butler the maximum that it can especially if they want to remain contenders in the East in the coming years. NBA legend Magic Johnson definitely agrees to this:
The goal is to win the championship every season, especially in a market like Chicago, and the Bulls need talented players like Butler alongside superstars like Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah to do just that.
Jimmy Butler is still 25-years-old but is already one of the league's elite perimeter defenders and at 6'7" and 220 pounds, nobody on the Bulls roster has the combination of size and athleticism that allows Butler to defend the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Durant. He is the Bulls version of Kawhi Leonard and if Chicago wants to win a title, they need to offer Butler the max. He deserves it.
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