Rumor Sources: Jimmy Butler plans to pursue shorter-term offer sheets

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/source...rsue-shorter-term-offer-sheets-212134060.html

Yahoo Sports
By Adrian Wojnarowski

Chicago Bulls restricted free-agent guard Jimmy Butler has plans to pursue shorter-term offer sheets this summer, resisting the Bulls’ initial plans to offer him a five-year, maximum contract extension, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

As the NBA’s salary cap is set to dramatically rise beginning with the 2016-17 season, Butler has become far less interested in locking himself into the five-year, $90 million-plus deal the Bulls are expected to present him on July 1, league sources said.

For Chicago, there’s no challenge to retaining Butler. As a restricted free agent, the Bulls have matching rights on any offer sheet. Nevertheless, Chicago could be faced with Butler’s agents at Relativity Sports, Happy Walters and Steve McCaskill, loading up a short-term offer sheet that includes a trade kicker and the potential loss of Butler to unrestricted free agency in 2017.


As Butler spends time in Los Angeles this summer, a stretch that’s included an overseas “Entourage” promotional jaunt with producer Mark Wahlberg, Butler’s intrigue with signing a potential Los Angeles Lakers offer sheet has increased, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Butler has preliminary plans to pursue meetings with several teams once free agency starts in July, sources said. Several teams pursuing Butler told Yahoo Sports that they’re under the impression a short-term, max money offer sheet is the wisest way to approach Butler this summer.

Unless Bulls officials bring Butler a shorter-term deal that’s more favorable to his long-term earning power, they’ll likely be waiting to match an offer sheet, league sources said.

Butler could sign a three-year offer sheet that guarantees him $50 million, but allows for a player option on the third year that could allow him to move into unrestricted free agency and re-sign for a five-year, maximum deal worth as much as $190 million. It is understandable why Chicago wants Butler locked into a five-year, $90 million max extension under the current salary structure, but that appears to be a deal Butler plans to pass on.

Chicago has to sell Butler on a post-Tom Thibodeau era under Fred Hoiberg to get him fully comfortable with the franchise’s direction. What’s more, there’s an increasing belief surrounding Butler and point guard Derrick Rose that they need to come to a greater understanding about how to best co-exist on the floor.

The Bulls understand that Butler had the staying power to turn down a four-year, $44 million extension (four-year, $48 million would’ve gotten the Bulls a deal, sources said) during an exclusive negotiating window in October, and they’ll have to wonder too: If there’s a player with the conviction to risk playing out the 2015-16 season for his $4.4 million qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent in 2016, it could be Butler. Nevertheless, that’ll be considered a long shot in the process.

At 25 years old, Butler had his best NBA season, earning a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. An elite two-way player, Butler averaged 20 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. His career averages are 11.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and two assists. He was the 30th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. He was voted the NBA’s Most Improved Player this season.

 

Fuck management. No great player wants to play here, lip service to the contrary.

He's not interested in the fiscal championship. Not on the same page as the owner.

Don't blame him.

He'll be a Bull for one season if they match. I think he signs an offer with opt out after one year.

My guess is they might let him walk. Maximizes Profit, and fans are suckers enough to believe the line we'll be sold: we don't need him, we have Snell and McDermott. Good thing we'll have Kirk back, too.

Woj is likable, no?

 

File this thread title under "stuff I'll worry about when something actually happens."

 

At least McDermott will be well rested.

 

Wait, what? I thought the players were happy to be rid of nasty old Thibs. (attack the source: Woj)

This is going to be an issue on the team that even Thibs would have a hard time dealing with, or another great NBA coach. Freddy is going to have his hands full. If Rose is going to start gunning for his extension and want to play his usual brand of "hero ball" and Jimmy is on a 1 year deal with his MAX financial future on the line, its going to take some big time NBA ego management by the coaches . Thibs was great at this, Freddy will be doing this for the first time so we don't know.

 

Hoiberg's offense features point forwards. That means neither Rose nor Jimmy are the primary ballhandlers. That would be McDermott's job.

 

http://chicago.suntimes.com/?p=147506

Looks like the now lowball offer will end up pissing away more of Uncle Jerry's money if they have to sign him to a SUPERMAX deal.

 

"No hometown discount for you!"
(in Stacey King voice)

 

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/6/16/8793117/jimmy-butler-free-agency-chicago-bulls-max-contract

Jimmy Butler expected to turn down Bulls' 5-year maximum extension offer

 

Jimmy Butler contract scenarios complicated beneath the surface

Jimmy Butler is ready to bet on himself again if needed.

A league source confirmed a Yahoo Sports report that Butler has preliminary plans to pursue shorter-term offer sheets when restricted free agency begins July 1. Butler, who turned down a four-year, $44 million extension at last October's deadline, is seeking to take advantage in the huge jump in the salary cap in 2016 by reaching unrestricted free agency quicker.

The Bulls already have stated publicly their intentions to be proactive in offering Butler a maximum contract after a breakout season in which he won the NBA's Most Improved Player award. But thanks to the huge influx of money from the league's new TV deal, the difference in a maximum contract Butler could sign this summer and one two seasons from now projects to possibly $100 million over five seasons.

The Bulls also have stated publicly they would match any offer sheet Butler signed. A three-year deal with a player option and trade kicker is the type of less palatable matching scenario the Mavericks' Chandler Parsons used last summer, and he has the same agents as Butler. Though if the Bulls offer the max, the collective bargaining agreement prohibits him from signing such an offer.

Read more http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...mmy-butler-bulls-spt-0617-20150616-story.html

 

So...it's about money.

 

Clearly it's about money:

"Chicago has to sell Butler on a post-Tom Thibodeau era under Fred Hoiberg to get him fully comfortable with the franchise’s direction."

 

It's official. Butler has completely ruled out returning to Chicago.

 

It's official. Jimmy has done nothing within his power to stay in Chicago.

 

Right, this is the story.

Hoiberg doesn't even factor into this thing, at least not yet. As (if memory serves) you said before Thibodeau was fired, Jimmy Butler was going to go after the supermax because he has a different risk/reward calculation than us wee mortals. If this story has anything to do with Hoiberg, it's that it's going to be difficult for him to keep Butler happy while monitoring his minutes when Jimmy is trying to put up numbers for his big payday.

And now for the dark part of it: I'm not sure that the Bulls' calculation for Jimmy's contract earlier this year was off. That list of guards who've had their careers derailed by injuries that we looked at is terrifying. I think there's a better than even chance that Butler doesn't make it through this upcoming season without a derailing injury with the minutes load he played last season.

 

JB's set himself up for a tragic ending. Here's hoping his luck holds out.

 

Courtesy MikeDC.

 

In any case, it's about the $$, not the organization. Not the organization.

Signing the QO when there's a lot more coin on the table is pretty unprecedented. We'll have Jimmy at least 2-3 more years, and he'll be working hard those years specifically because he'll be looking for the big payday.

 

Ben Gordon signed the QO with more coin on the table.

And bolted.

 

Most of the news articles about Jimmy's contract situation were mostly written before management fired Thibs and other coaches.

The recent one from the best source says the Bulls have to sell Jimmy on post Thibs Bulls.

It is what it is.