NBA Trade Rumors: Jimmy Butler is pushing for Cleveland

Jimmy Butler has been involved in trade rumors for awhile now, but none have been bigger than him reportedly wanting to go to Cleveland.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been expressing their desire to trade for another star to compete with the champs out West, and Jimmy Butler may be their guy. There were rumors that the Cavaliers would target Paul George or Jimmy Butler, but they would have to include a third team.

The talks regarding acquiring Butler have seemed to have intensified, and apparently Butler is willing to push the Bulls front office into making it happen as well. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that LeBron James and Kyrie Irving have been reaching out to Butler the last few days to recruit him, and Butler has been welcoming the gestures.

The Bulls have some tough decisions to make, but its clear that their star player is ready to check out of town. It was also reported that Dwyane Wade was leaning toward opting into his player option for next season, but could change his mind if Butler is dealt. Losing both Butler and Wade would mean that the Bulls are hitting the reset button on their franchise, which may be their best option at this point.

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Chicago would be able to build toward the future by acquiring draft picks, and have a lot of financial flexibility to potentially attract free agents who actually want to be in a Bulls uniform. The Cavaliers will certainly have to get creative in acquiring Butler, as they don’t have much cap space and they are currently searching for a new general manager.

However, if LeBron James is in on a deal, I’m sure Cleveland’s owner Dan Gilbert, will do everything in his power to make this happen. Buckle up folks!