Jimmy Butler will be one of the most sought-after players of the summer, but the Chicago Bulls reserve the right to match any offer sheet that the restricted free agent signs.
So, in an order to maximize his value for the future, Butler is preparing to pursue short-term contracts from other teams, per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Although Butler can sign a five-year, $90 million deal, the NBA salary cap will skyrocket more than $20 million after the 2015-16 season. Consequently, Butler inking a long-term contract would be a steal for Chicago moving forward.
Wojarowski laid out Butler’s options:
Butler could sign a three-year offer sheet that guarantees him $50 million, but allows for a player option on the third year that could allow him to move into unrestricted free agency and re-sign for a five-year, maximum deal worth as much as $190 million. It is understandable why Chicago wants Butler locked into a five-year, $90 million max extension under the current salary structure, but that appears to be a deal Butler plans to pass on.
Butler averaged 20.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals last season en route to obtaining a slew of honors. After earning his first All-Star nod, the shooting guard was named the 2014-15 NBA Most Improved Player and a member of the NBA All-Defensive second team.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, Butler’s 122.3 offensive rating and 11.2 total win shares were the sixth-highest marks in the league. The 25-year-old also averaged an NBA-high 38.7 minutes per game.
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