While everyone seems to think the Chicago Bulls are actively trying to trade swingman Jimmy Butler, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports that the Bulls would rather move point guard Derrick Rose instead of Butler.
Rose, 27, is entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him $21.3 million next season. And while he has said before that he would like to finish his career with the Bulls, there’s no guarantee the team is willing to sign the former MVP to another contract.
Rose has managed to play just half of the team’s games over the last four seasons, and he isn’t nearly as explosive as he was his first couple of years with the Bulls. We saw flashes of the old Rose this season but not enough to warrant a long-term deal.
According to Skyler, the Bulls would much rather take a point guard in the draft, and that moving Rose this summer seems to be what the team is thinking.
The Bulls got 66 games out of Rose this season and 51 games last season. It might be time to cut their losses and go with a younger player.
