Butler finalizing Max contract with Bulls

Bill Gates doesn't leave $80 million on the table. Butler won't either.

 

We can't afford that right now. Next year, sure. Absolutely.

 

Guys he's not signing an 80 million dollar deal this summer. He wants what is kind of his de facto minimum which is 3/51 million.

@Doc Brown is right, he can't sign for 1 year. He needs at least 2 guaranteed years and he'll ask for the third as a player option for insurance.

Still, Greg Monroe just gambled on himself and won. It's a decision I'm guessing he's wrestling with a bit. Chicago can and will scare off potential suitors by threatening to match. If he really wants to get out or really wants to capitalize on the new cap, the QO is the way to go. He'll just have to trust himself.

The thing is, unless he suffers a career ending injury, he's likely to get a lot of money anyway. Say he gets hurt for the entire year, nobody is forgetting him. Under the new cap 18 million is only 21% of the cap which is less than a max deal for players with 6 years of experience but equal to the extension he'd get THIS summer. I'm relatively sure we could still offer him the 18 million next summer even AFTER we try to sign Durant.

If he wants out, the best option is the QO and I think there's relatively low risk from it unless he breaks his body in half. Even Wes Matthews is trying to get 15 million off a freshly torn Achilles.

 

Let’s hope Butler takes the QO so if Durant turns us down we have Butler as a fallback.

Jordan
Randle
Butler
Clarkson
Russell

Or we get both and we have a bench unit of Clarkson/Black/Upshaw..but that’s just me being greedy.

 

Can you imagine? That team is dynastic for sure. Maybe they don't win the first year, but they've got crazy, crazy potential.

Russell/Clarkson
Butler
Durant
Randle
Jordan/Black

I mean that's just nasty. Just really... really nasty.

 

I can definitely imagine it. We'll be back soon. Maybe not next season, but in two years...

 

I don't think he does. The Lakers will go after a big, not Butler, Right now we have Kobe and Swaggy and two picks who COULD play the 3. Tarik Black is our only center.

 

That's a dangerous game to play. Even if you tell Aldridge he's not a Plan B, your actions are stating otherwise AND what if Butler isn't matched for whatever reason? Then Aldridge is out in the cold if he wanted to be a Laker. Dangerous games my friend!

Either way people think Aldridge is actually probably the first domino to fall this summer.

 

Yeah that's what I've been wrestling with myself. Summer League will really show us whether or not those guys are ready to handle some NBA offense. If Randle and Russell can show something offensively in Summer League, something tangible against their peers, then I'm willing to go with Jordan for a year. If they're not, then I go with Aldridge and banish one of them to the bench.

Unfortunately free agency starts Wed... and our Summer League starts on the 10th...

 

It's moot because Butler will get matched. My point was that trying to play with delicate timing in situations like that... if you try to play the fence you likely don't get either. Let Aldridge in on the deal, then go after Butler. Butler gets matched, while we waited those three days Aldridge is gone. Jordan signs with Mavs. Chandler signs with Clippers. We're in big, big trouble.

 

I did the math roughly and I think Butler should take the QO if he really wants to be here. Even assuming we hand out a max deal this summer, we'll have 50 million bucks to spend on FAs without counting Clarkson and Black because I'm not sure how their contracts will work out next summer... Assuming though that we sign say Aldridge to a max deal, we'd have Young, Randle, Nance, and Anthony Brown as well. If we are able to convince Durant to take his max (which I believe starts at 26 million for him because he'd have just finished his 9th season), we'd have roughly 24 million to spend.

Butler's max after next summer would end up at 22.25 million dollars. Even if he gets hurt, the Lakers could offer him a reasonable deal worth his PREVIOUS max whic whould start at 16.85 million and have about 8 million more to spend.

If he wants out, take the QO and get out. Otherwise, do the far more reasonable thing and find someone else to pay you for three more years in Chicago.