If you had dreams of the Celtics signing Bulls RFA Jimmy Butler to a max contract this off-season, wake up and forget it:
Internally, the Bulls are planning to take a proactive approach to contract negotiations with Butler next July and secure the shooting guard for a long-term spot alongside Derrick Rose.
They fully expect to sign Butler to a max deal next July before another team even gets involved to tempt him with an offer sheet, which the CBA says they can after the moratorium ends. They accept that the size of Butler’s contract will put the Bulls in position to pay the luxury tax, something Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf says he will do for a championship contender his team is.
I’ve been praying to the salary cap gods that Chicago wouldn’t be able to afford a lavish contract thrown Butler’s way. But Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk has the numbers that show Chicago can throw Butler at least $15 mil annually and still keep the core in tact.
I won’t ruin your weekend by reminding you that the Celtics bypassed Butler and ended up with JaJuan Johnson in the 2011 draft.
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