Chicago Bulls Rumors: Jimmy Butler Set To Represent Team in NBA Draft Lottery

By Jenn Loro - 12 May '16 10:17AM

Jimmy Butler is becoming quite a dilemma for the Chicago Bulls with his inflated ego. Despite a simmering internal conflict between him and the team, Chicago still asked him to be the face of the franchise at this year's NBA draft lottery taking place on May 17 in New York.

The news of the two-time NBA All-Star representing Chicago at a draft lottery sounds incomprehensible given the swirling trade rumors and raging speculations of Butler's potential split from the Bulls.

But the latest effort by Chicago Bulls to rebrand him as the new poster boy of the franchise marks the strongest sign of commitment the front office have made so far to making Butler the centerpiece of their rebuilding strategy- creating a robust lineup around him.

For the first time since 2008, Chicago Bulls is participating the in the draft lottery. About eight years ago, they landed the top pick and drafted Derrick Rose. Back then they only had a mere 1.7% chance to draw lot first which was way better than this year's 0.5%. According to Chicago Tribune, the team ranks 14th as the non-playoff team with the best record with only 1.8% chance at the top three pick.

Bulls' general manager Gar Forman said Chicago's future direction remains hazy given their forgettable 2015-16 season performance. He also noted that the team has to explore all viable options on the table.

"We've got to explore all options and I don't think there's anything that's off the table when you have a disappointing year like this. With that said, obviously Jimmy has had a fantastic year. From where he was to where he's gotten to, he's become a very, very valuable player for us," Forman said as quoted by Chicago Now.

As Chicago Bulls is pulling their star player off the NBA trade block, rebuilding around him would be the next strategic move for the team although this could present quite a lot of locker room issues as leaked stories of Jimmy Butler's alleged 'diva behavior' are doing rounds online plus his not-so-friendly relationship with fellow Bulls Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose, the Inquisitr reported.