http://www.csnchicago.com/bulls-talk/butlers-breakout-season-could-help-bulls-salary-cap-bind Now the question is what does Butler’s tremendous growth in Year 2 mean for his future with the Bulls? Clearly, Hamilton won’t be back next season, and since Marco Belinelli and Nate Robinson are heading into free agency, they might not return either. Gar Forman might just decide his best option going forward at shooting guard is with the guy who entered the draft in 2011 with serious questions about his outside shooting ability. Butler worked hard over the past two summers to develop his mid-range shooting, and now he’s become adept at hitting the corner 3, which is one of the most efficient shots in the game. Butler still needs to become more consistent from beyond the arc, and work on his ball-handling skills, but that shouldn't be a major issue. Clearly, the former Marquette star has the skill set to be a better than average starting guard in the league. Not only is Butler’s emergence a major positive for the Bulls in the short term, it also might help the front office manage a very tight salary cap situation in the years to come. The assumption has been the Bulls would try to free up cap room for a run at a major free agent in the summer of 2014. But to accomplish that they would need to use the amnesty provision on the final year of Carlos Boozer’s contract (2014-’15) and choose not to offer a contract to Deng, who becomes a free agent following the 2013-’14 season. If Butler can fill the void at shooting guard opposite Derrick Rose, the Bulls could negotiate a new deal with Deng and try to compete for a title with a starting lineup of Rose, Butler, Noah, Deng and either Taj Gibson or European import, Nikola Mirotic.
