When Bulls forward Jimmy Butler was shipped from Chicago to Minnesota for a smaller haul than expected, many began to wonder what other teams were involved in trade talks and what they offered.
Now, we may have a better idea.
According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and Denver Nuggets all engaged in trade negotiations with Chicago before bowing out.
Boston was unwilling to part with any of its valued draft assets in trading for Butler, per Lowe’s report. “(The Celtics) would not include the No. 3 pick in any package for (Butler),” Lowe writes. He adds that other reports suggested they also balked at including next year’s Brooklyn Nets first round pick or the future protected pick received from Philadelphia earlier this week.
Lowe also notes that Denver was interested in Butler but refused to include young guard Jamal Murray in trade discussions. Unlike Denver and Boston’s efforts, Lowe does not pinpoint any individual misses in Phoenix’s attempts to acquire Butler, only adding that a package built around Eric Bledsoe and the 4th pick was never close.
Butler, 27, now heads to Minnesota in the prime of his career with two years remaining on his contract. He’ll join young stars Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns after scoring a career high 23.9 points per game last season for Chicago.
Shane McNichol covers college basketball and the NBA for Larry Brown Sports. He also blogs about basketball at Palestra Back and has contributed to Rush The Court, ESPN.com, and USA Today Sports Weekly. Follow him on Twitter @OnTheShaneTrain.
