The other reason is that there is a lot of truth to the fact that Lebron plans on leaving after next season.

If he does leave whichever team that signs him had better be careful. Lot of tread on those tires. If you do the 5 year 200 mil thing with him you will be getting a guy 33 34 years old with 15 years in the league and a lot of playoff labor.

LeBron really isn't interested in guarding anymore. That's evident. He will probably provide 2 more years after next at elite level. After that you're paying for what he used to be. He will be a shell of his former self.

Reasons why LeBron wasn't consulted

1. He was outplayed by Durant during the Finals

2. His team won 52 games despite possessing a payroll that was 25-30 mil more than the next closest team.

3. He gave him the coach he wanted last season.

4. LeBron leveraged for the resigning of Thompson, Smith, and trade for Love and he sees where that got them.

Isn't a lot of tread on tires a good thing?

5. Dan Gilbert doesn't want to keep paying ridiculous amounts of luxury tax each season to finish 2nd place and not have any draft picks.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2017/01/27/how-lebrons-cavaliers-lost-an-nba-high-40-million-last-season/#12c06d557699

They'll still be able to sell tickets at the end.

Cleveland is losing money with the moves they have made to placate him. 4 teams finished with better records and 3-4 others were tied for the same record. That shouldn't happen given some of the injuries incurred by other teams. Cleveland only won 10 more games than the Bulls. Ponder that for a second.

He's an overachiever.

Cowley says Butler will push for trade to Cavs

http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/sour ... -cavs/amp/

B&G made the point yesterday that if butler goes to cleveland he isn't going to be all nba (not if both kyrie and lebron are there still) and would then not get super max contract(or whatever it is called). that fact alone has me skpetical that butler wants to be traded anywhere at this point... would you? all he needs is another great season and he gets super max money

B&G made the point yesterday that if butler goes to cleveland he isn't going to be all nba (not if both kyrie and lebron are there still) and would then not get super max contract(or whatever it is called). that fact alone has me skpetical that butler wants to be traded anywhere at this point... would you? all he needs is another great season and he gets super max money

Cowley says Butler will push for trade to Cavs

http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/sour ... -cavs/amp/

That article doesn't make any sense.

How so?

It's several random thoughts. Jimmy to the Cavs. If that doesn't work, maybe Kyrie to the Bulls. Followed by Jimmy just wants to win.

It's high on loose speculation without anything to back it up.

No doubt in my mind that the source of the story was Butler himself. Cowley is a hack writer with an axe to grind. Butler has been pimping him whenever he wants to get a story out. Been the case for the past 3 seasons.

I'll take Cowley any day over the Bulls' mouthpiece that is KC Johnson, who has probably sat on more stories than he's ever broken.

What stories has Cowley broken? He's an entertaining listen, but he's not a great reporter.

I'm just saying KC Johnson has little credibility. While you may be right on Cowley in terms of him throwing stuff at the wall, I can be more certain that he's not simply repeating Bulls talking points like Johnson does from time to time, or like Zaidman does for the Bears.

SOURCES: BULLS ARE ACTIVELY SHOPPING JIMMY BUTLER PRIOR TO NBA DRAFT
By Vincent Goodwill June 20, 2017 3:29 PM


It's becoming clearer by the minute that the smoke surrounding Jimmy Butler is looking more like truth and not just conjecture as the NBA Draft approaches.

The Bulls routinely say they'll take phone calls from teams about Butler's availability around this time and at the trade deadline but this time around, multiple sources tell CSNChicago.com the Bulls are doing more than listening: they're shopping Butler to many teams.

It appears the Bulls have made the decision to try to jumpstart their rebuilding process and see what the best offer is for Butler as opposed to just gauging his value.

The Boston Celtics have always been fond of Butler and have the assets the Bulls in theory would be attracted to in terms of multiple draft picks and affordable contracts on the current roster. The Cleveland Cavaliers seemed to be on the Bulls' doorstep before abruptly ending their partnership with GM David Griffin Monday evening.

On the surface they would appear to be the favorites as the Phoenix Suns have been "doing due diligence," according to league sources. And the Denver Nuggets were on the periphery at the trade deadline, acquiring about Butler.

In other words, the Bulls will have no shortage of offers, meaning this is a trade they'll have to get right. They're in a different position than the Indiana Pacers as Paul George has made it known he wants out and plans to become a Los Angeles Laker. But Butler has made it known he wants to stay in Chicago and doesn't want to be moved, according to sources close to the Bulls swingman.

But with the Bulls' desire to free head coach Fred Hoiberg of Butler due to their lack of a fruitful relationship and belief he can improve in his third year, this is the road the franchise is choosing to walk down.

The Bulls were rebuffed on an offer to the Celtics for the third pick straight-up, but bringing the Cavaliers to the table could increase the quality of offers for Butler, who would be eligible for a deal in the $40 million range annually if he makes another All-NBA team next season.

One would think the Bulls' reluctance at paying a contract that large on a team that will continue to be in the middle of the draft plays a part in their decision.

As one league executive texted last night, "It's either Boston or Cleveland but he's going."

As it appears Butler's surprising rise will have an abrupt ending, seemingly sooner rather than later.