Report: Jimmy Butler Would Refuse a Five-Year Max Offer From the Bulls, Has Interest in Lakers

Jimmy Butler reportedly favors a short-term deal over a max offer.

Image via USA TODAY Sports/Gary A. Vasquez

Once they're able to do so (July 1st) the Chicago Bulls are expected to offer Jimmy Butler a max-deal of 5-years/$90 million dollars. While that sounds like is a shit-ton of dough, Butler is expected to refuse this offer in anticipation of a contract that could utilize the impending explosion of NBA TV money to add a one in front of that figure (all this is according to Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski).

Since money is about to start raining from the rafters, Butler is instead seeking a short-term (see: two-year) deal that would allow him to become a free agent again in the summer of 2017. Wojnarowski added that the Bulls will match any deal offered to Butler in the coming weeks (meaning you'll be seeing him in red next fall) but he also makes mention that Butler's positive impression of Los Angeles already has the All-Star thinking of taking his career to the Staples Center to be a part of the Lakers (when his free agency is no longer restricted):

"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."

In order to stay in the Windy City as a long-term member of the Bulls, Wojnarowski says the franchise has to sell Butler on the post-Thibodeau era, and convince him that both he and Derrick Rose can exist in the same uniform on the same floor at the same time.

Last October, Butler turned down an extension from the Bulls that was worth four-years/$44 million. Sources later said that an additional million per year (four-years/$48 million) would've enticed Butler to sign.

Turns out that that decision probably could (see: absolutely will) turn out to be an extremely expensive case of penny pinching by the front office.

[via Yahoo Sports!]

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