Jimmy Butler Rejects Chicago Bulls Final Contract Offer

By Josh Hill | Oct 31, 2014

The Chicago Bulls will be without Jimmy Butler as they open their NBA season due to a thumb injury Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

Chicago Bulls fans were hoping that Jimmy Butler would sign an extension with the team but that won’t be happening until the offseason now.

The Chicago Bulls were hoping to get something done with Jimmy Butler before the extension deadline at midnight, but that won’t be happening. There is still time left to get a deal done, but the Bulls had a deadline before their game tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Butler did not budge.

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According to Adrian Wojnarowski from Yahoo! Sports, the Bulls and Jimmy Butler weren’t able to reach a contract number they could settle on as the forward wants to bet on himself.

"Butler rejected the Bulls’ final offer on Friday morning and plans to enter into restricted free agency in July.“It came down to me deciding that I want to bet on myself,” Butler told Yahoo Sports in a text message on Friday. “It was about me believing that I put the work in this summer to become a better player with the hope that my improvement will give the Bulls a better chance to win a championship.”"

This doesn’t mean that Butler is going to be in Chicago next year or in the future, but the team is going to have to pay a pretty penny to keep him. Butler rejected an offer of over $11 million per season, which would have paid him around $44 million. Instead, he’s eyeing a deal in the range of $15 million which would have a payout of around $60 million.

Chicago will not max out Butler but he wants to get paid for the growth he’s had and the bright future that lies ahead of him. Chicago will either have to put up or let him walk, and you can bet Butler will come out blazing against the Cavaliers to prove his point.

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