One NBA legend believes if the Chicago Bulls could potentially acquire the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft in a trade for superstar forward Jimmy Butler, they should pull the trigger ASAP.
That man is Charles Barkley, who during a radio interview with ESPN Chicago on Thursday, shared his take on the trade rumors involving Butler and the Boston Celtics.
Host: “If you were Chicago, and you could trade Jimmy Butler and get those two really high picks and a player and Boston said ‘yeah, we’ll do it,’ wouldn’t you make that trade?”
Barkley: “First of all, anybody who wouldn’t make that trade just don’t know anything. You got to start rebuilding. … The Bulls are not going to be any good in the next couple years. So you need to start that rebuild as soon as possible. So, yeah, you make that deal ASAP if you get a chance to do it.”
The Celtics, of course, have the right to swap 2017 first-round picks with the Brooklyn Nets, who own the league’s worst record by a decent margin. Boston reportedly won’t include this year’s Nets pick in any deal for Butler, let alone that pick swap AND the 2018 Brooklyn pick, which was the scenario talked about in the exchange above.
Still, the Bulls need to figure out their long-term plan pretty soon, preferably before the Feb. 23 trade deadline or June’s draft. The Bulls have a flawed roster and won’t be a title contender as currently constructed, so it would make sense to use quality trade assets like Butler to start a rebuild. Boston has the best assets for any team looking to rebuild.
The decision to rebuild is one of the toughest in sports, though, so don’t be surprised if this saga drags on well after the deadline.
Thumbnail photo via Kamil Krzaczynski/USA TODAY Sports Images
