Chicago Bulls finally part ways with Jimmy Butler on draft night

After rumors of Butler’s departure from the Windy City swirled for months, the Chicago Bulls made it official on draft night

Just when everyone thought that the Western Conference couldn’t get any better, the Minnesota Timberwolves had other ideas.

Minnesota acquired elite shooting guard Jimmy Butler and the 16th overall selection in the NBA Draft (Creighton C Justin Patton). Chicago, in return, received the 7th overall pick in the draft (Arizona PF Lauri Markkanen), shooting guard Zach LaVine and point guard Kris Dunn.

Jimmy Butler is officially gone.

The NBA world thought Jimmy Butler was going to be dealt for the longest time, most likely to the Boston Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers. However, everything cooled down when Butler reportedly decided he’d rather stay in Chicago.

Dwyane Wade also opted to stay with the Bulls for another year, which appeared to end all trade speculation. However, that was soon proved wrong, as he was shipped to Minnesota, who wasn’t actively pursuing him previously, early on in the NBA Draft.

This trade dropped jaws left and right, as sending Butler to the Timberwolves made them an instant contender in the loaded Western Conference. Butler will join forces with dominant big man Karl-Anthony Towns and athletic wing man Andrew Wiggins, two former number one overall picks.

The T-Wolves could potentially have three all-stars in their starting lineup next season. Reuniting Butler with his former coach in Tom Thibodeau suggests he’ll fit right in the system.

Although losing budding star and 2x Slam Dunk Champion Zach LaVine is a tough pill to swallow, the organization and the fans won’t fret, as Butler is a far superior talent. LaVine is also recovering from a torn ACL, something a growing team obviously didn’t want to wait for. Kris Dunn was drafted to replace Ricky Rubio, something he failed to do. The draft pick swap wasn’t half bad for Minnesota either, only ceding ten spots to the Bulls.

For Chicago, this deal signaled the beginning of a full-scale rebuild. Dwyane Wade is back foranother campaign but otherwise, the Bulls are going with the youth movement. Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and seventh overall pick Lauri Markkanen were sent Chicago’s way in this trade.

All three will get significant playing time next season. They all might even start. Current point man Rajon Rondo, two guard Dwyane Wade and center Robin Lopez are now buyout candidates, since they’d likely want to play for contenders.

All in all, the Timberwolves clearly won this trade. They now have all of the pieces they need to win in the Western Conference: an all-around guard in Butler, an athletic small forward in Wiggins and an absolute monster in the paint in Towns.

Ricky Rubio’s passing prowess at the point will create an abundance of opportunities for the three franchise centerpieces. If they can develop chemistry and gel nicely, this core will be a force to reckon with.

On the flip side, one has to wonder why Chicago elected to go through with this deal. The Bulls could’ve pried a top-five pick and more from the Boston Celtics. They may have been able to get another top pick and maybe more in a three-team deal involving Phoenix and Cleveland.

Must Read: 2017 NBA Draft: Grades For All 30 Teams

However, they took the lesser return from Minnesota, hauling in a pick outside the top-five, an unproven backup guard in Dunn and an injured Zach LaVine. It’s not like they got nothing but they definitely could’ve gotten more. Now, the Chicago Bulls won’t see the postseason again anytime soon.