As we witness the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets battle it out in the NBA Finals, Chicago Bulls fans and the organization are left to grapple with a painful truth: trading Jimmy Butler in 2017 was a monumental mistake. Now considered one of the worst NBA trades in the past decade, it may even be the most disastrous in Bulls history. The most shocking revelation? Butler never wanted to leave.
The Bulls’ former regime, led by Gar/Pax, tried to control the narrative, insisting that trading Butler to Minnesota for Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, and Kris Dunn was essential. However, the real issue has now come to light: they didn’t *hear* Jimmy. They listened to the do-it-all guard but failed to genuinely comprehend his concerns.
Their inability to truly hear Butler led them to refuse paying him the super-max or anything close to it. Moreover, they were unwilling to give up some control as Butler sought to make significant changes to the roster. Most disturbingly, the previous regime never fully grasped the talent they had within their own organization.
Despite drafting Butler themselves and witnessing his growth, the Bulls lacked the foresight to recognize him as an elite on-court force. Such missteps don’t just harm an organization; they cripple it. Six seasons later, the Bulls have yet to recover.
Markkanen and Dunn are long gone, while LaVine has proven to be more of a sidekick than a leading man on a team that has won just one playoff game since Butler’s departure. In contrast, Butler has taken three franchises to the postseason, led the Heat to the NBA Finals twice, and solidified his reputation as one of the best playoff performers in recent memory.
Butler was candid with the Bulls about the roster’s flawed trajectory. He exposed the Timberwolves’ weaknesses in a now-infamous intrasquad scrimmage and criticized the 76ers for investing in low-effort players like Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons instead of building around himself and close friend Joel Embiid. All three franchises have suffered in Butler’s absence.
Known for his brutal honesty and, at times, seeming indifference to the regular season, Butler’s focus is the postseason. It’s when adversity is truly tested, and overcoming it is his forte.
Though the Bulls came close to eliminating Butler’s Miami in an April 14 play-in game, the subsequent playoff rounds have only underscored how far the Bulls are from a team like Miami and a player like Butler. Minnesota and Philadelphia made similar mistakes – they listened to Jimmy, but they never heard him. Now, they’re all paying the price.
