In a column that has the NBA world reeling, Chicago Sun-Times reporter Joe Cowley cited sources from Cleveland that suggest Jimmy Butler is in talks with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving about a possible trade to the Cavaliers.
That would be a massive deal, and one that requires a third-party team to give the Bulls the young pieces and/or draft picks they’re looking for if they start to rebuild. At this moment, two days away from the NBA draft, a Butler trade still seems unlikely given the high price set by Gar Forman and John Paxson.
We’ll keep our eyes on the Butler situation, of course, but there was another detail in Cowley’s piece that got buried under the huge news of Jimmy pushing for a trade. Based on the conversations Butler and Dwyane Wade had with management at their exit interviews, they’re ready for the “Three Alphas” experiment to end.
“A Bulls source indicated that the message coming out of the meetings with both Butler and Wade was the ‘Three Alphas’ storyline has played out. While Butler and Wade personally have no problem with Rajon Rondo, they would like a proven outside threat at point guard to open up the floor.” – Joe Cowley
It’s no secret that with the exception of a few random hot streaks, the Bulls backcourt was woefully inefficient shooting threes last season. And no, Rondo is not a strong three point shooter. What’s funny, though, is that Wade was considerably worse (31%) than Rondo (37.6%) from downtown in their first seasons wearing Bulls jerseys. But according to Cowley’s sources familiar with those exit interviews, Rondo got the lion’s share of blame for the Bulls’ three point problems.
If GarPax decide to keep Jimmy and Wade opts in, will the surprise move become letting Rondo go? The Bulls have a team option on the second year of his contract, and can buy Rondo out for $3 million rather than keeping him on the roster for $13.4 million. Based on Paxson’s comments from their press conference after being eliminated from the playoffs, they have every intention of bringing Rondo back. They also praised him for his leadership skills, especially when dealing with the young guys on the roster. But if the other two alphas want Rondo gone, will GarPax cede their wishes to their two biggest star attractions? Very possible.
One possible free agent target the Bulls could pursue with Rondo’s money is Patty Mills. The veteran point guard served dutifully as a role player in San Antonio for several seasons. He shot 41.3% from deep this season, and has played in a more successful version of Fred Hoiberg’s offense under Gregg Popovich for six years. The only problem is Mills is expected to receive lots of attention on the free agent market next month. The Bulls have never excelled at luring hot commodity players.
The “Three Alphas 2.0” season seemed like a foregone conclusion after GarPax’s postmortem words to the media. Now – whether it be a Butler trade or releasing Rondo from his contract – that is far from a guarantee.
