Jimmy Butler made the All-Star Game, won Most Improved Player and will soon have another symbol of his status as a top-shelf player:
A max contract.
The only question is how Butler, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, will get it.
Will he sign directly with the Bulls or sign an offer sheet the Bulls will match?
For their sake, I hope the Lakers have a backup plan
Butler wants to stay in Chicago, and the Bulls want to keep him. Something could go wrong if he were an unrestricted free agent, but because he’s restricted, it’s nearly impossible to see him getting away.
If the Lakers sign him to an offer sheet, they’d almost certainly just be tying up their cap space for a few days until the Bulls match – all while other free agents sign elsewhere.
There have been numerous reports of trades the Lakers tried to make or players they’ll try to add. It seems they’re trying to satisfy a disgruntled fan base by leaking these grand plans. But at a certain point, they have to actually add talent rather than just talk about it.
It won’t be Butler, though.
