The Chicago Bulls have agreed to a max contract extension with Jimmy Butler this offseason and reports have his deal at five years and over $90 million and this comes as the team could consider a Taj Gibson trade this summer, while Mike Dunleavy is back on a three year deal in free agency and players like Lou Williams and Rodney Stuckey could be free agent targets if Aaron Brooks doesn't return.
The Bulls had Butler as their main priority in free agency and they had a good chance at keeping him since Butler was a restricted free agent. Butler was going to get some attention on the market even with that status, but the team took care of that by giving him multiple qualifying offers. The max qualifying offer kept teams away and according to Yahoo Sports, it allowed the team to work with Butler on a deal and they have agreed to five years, $95 million to keep Butler in Chicago.
Butler was expected to stay in Chicago, but there was a chance that he wanted to sign a short term deal over a max contract to maximize his value. The salary cap is going up over the next couple years and the TV money also will boost things. Butler is now making max money and according to Adrian Wojnarowski, league sources report that the deal has a player option after the fourth year. Butler will be making big money moving forward and it comes after he had a career season while winning most improved player for the Bulls.
Butler was the most consistent player for the Bulls all season and he is one of the main reasons why they made it as far as they did in the playoffs. Butler averaged 20 points and nearly six rebounds per game last season and he also made the All-Star team and was second team on the All-defensive squad. Butler was a priority and now Fred Hoiberg has his star back. The team signed back Mike Dunleavy to a three year deal, according to ESPN.com and it came as the Cleveland Cavaliers were interested in him as a free agent target. Dunleavy is a great shooter and he gives the team some depth on offense from the outside.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the team may look at a Taj Gibson trade this offseason after the emergence of Nikola Mirotic. The team just drafted Bobby Portis and with Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic up front with Joakim Noah, Gibson is likely the odd man out. Gibson is making over $8 million each of the next two seasons and his salary may not justify his future role. Gibson just had surgery so he could be tougher to trade, but expect his name to continue coming up.
The team also could look at adding more free agents, as players like Lou Williams, JJ Barea and Rodney Stuckey are available on the market. The Bulls may not bring keep Aaron Brooks and they could look at Williams or Stuckey as backup options on the roster. Williams may leave Toronto after the team signed DeMarre Carroll, while Stuckey may get some attention on the market once the bigger names get signed.