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Jimmy Butler Trade Rumors: 5 reasons he’s a good fit for Cavaliers

By Akash Anavarathan

Jan 4, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) defends Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 4, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) defends Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 16, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) goes to the basket past Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) and center Kelly Olynyk (41) during the third quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Jimmy Butler can play really well off-the-ball

There’s one big catch if Jimmy Butler does get traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In Chicago, Butler was used to playing with the ball in his hands a lot. In Cleveland that likely won’t be the case, because LeBron James and Kyrie Irving would be the primary ball-handlers.

So will the Bulls’ star be able to fit in and play off-the-ball? Hell yes. Let’s take a look at a few statistics that will go to show how well Butler plays in spot-up situations.

Yes, this is somewhat of a vague statistic to pull up, but it’s very fitting here. The big question is: will Butler be able to play off-ball and still make plays and score? Yes. Jimmy Buckets was in the 92nd percentile on spot-up plays. Who did that tie? Oh just a really good shooter in JJ Redick. Butler has also improved from the three-point line, shooting 37 percent.

So if LeBron was to drive-and-kick in certain situations, he can rely on Butler to knock down open shots or create for others. Butler’s one of the top scorers in the NBA when it comes to spot-up points per play.

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