NBA Rumors: Chicago Bulls Open to Jimmy Butler Trade; Wizards, Kings Fight Over All-Star to Pair With John Wall, Ben McLemore

Apr 18, 2017 09:58 PM EDT

The stunning performance of Jimmy Butler in the first round of the NBA playoffs, where he successfully carried the Chicago Bulls past the Boston Celtics, once again pushed the All-Star to the spotlight. With this, however, comes the NBA trade talks cropping up as well. Many believe that the front office would use the performance of the star to lure other teams to offer more valuable assets to acquire him by the offseason.

The Chicago Bulls proved their serious desire to rebuild the team when they sent Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose packing to the New York Knicks to supposedly help Carmelo Anthony. Pau Gasol was also shipped to the San Antonio Spurs and joined Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge in their quest for a ring; while Taj Gibson and Doug McDermitt were suddenly traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder to contribute to the Russell Westbrook era. Nowadays, many feel that another massive deal could happen in the Dwyane Wade team soon. Will this be a Jimmy Butler trade?

Critics believe that despite the amazing performance of Jimmy Butler, the Chicago Bulls would need a better and stronger superstar to lead the team and become the center of their rebuilding efforts. This possibility does not exactly mean bad news for the fans of the star. In fact, it could be an opening for a new and probably more promising future for the All-Star as the Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings are anticipated to make a bid for the contract.

"It's good to be able to have a guy like that, to say, 'Get us 30 [points] and then go guard the guy who has 30,'" shared teammate Dwyane Wade of Jimmy Butler. He added, "Jimmy, Paul [George], Kawhi [Leonard], Draymond [Green], LeBron [James] - I'm sure I'm leaving someone out. So there's some guys that can do that, and we're fortunate to have one of them."

The former Miami Heat star further shared, "I had the luxury of playing with a guy named LeBron [with the Heat], and we did the same thing when we played [the Bulls] and Derrick Rose [in the Eastern Conference finals in 2011]. You have a point guard that guards them, but you [also] have a guy that's longer, just as fast, all those things. It gives them a different look; it kind of throws off things."

The sentiments and observations of Dwyane Wade reportedly match the premise of the Jimmy Butler trade campaign of the Chicago Bulls. While a number of NBA teams are rumored to be interested in this contract, such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, the Washington Wizards seem to be on top of the contender list as John Wall offers a highly viable partnership to Jimmy Butler. Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings are still looking for ways to fill the void left by the DeMarcus Cousins trade and the Chicago Bulls star is said to be the perfect partner for Ben McLemore.

What do you think? Should the Chicago Bulls continue with their rebuilding process by signing a Jimmy Butler trade?