Jimmy Butler is finalizing a five-year, $95 million maximum contract to re-sign with the Chicago Bulls, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Butler’s deal will include a player option after the fourth year of the deal, sources told Yahoo.
Teams pursuing Butler with offer sheet proposals have conceded and moved on, league sources said.
This was always the most likely scenario.
Jimmy Butler emerged to become the Bulls’ best player last season. He was already an above average defender, but he made sizable jumps in his contributions to the offensive end of the floor, and finished the year with averages of 20 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 38.7 minutes per contest.
Butler was recognized for his efforts by making the All-Star team, winning the league’s Most Improved Player award, and being named to the league’s All-Defensive second team. He was a restricted free agent, and the Bulls could have matched any offer he may have received to play somewhere else. But it never came to that point, and with Chicago knowing all along it was never going to let him get away, the team did the smart thing by coming strong with a max contract offer on free agency’s very first day.