Jimmy Butler Comments on Derrick Rose Trade to Knicks

June 29th, 2016 by Tyler Conway Leave a reply »

Jimmy Butler knew there was a line in the sand between him and Derrick Rose. The Chicago Bulls had to trade one of them this offseason.

But during an appearance on ESPN's The Jump on Wednesday, Butler made it clear Rose's move to New York was for basketball reasons, not a result of personal animus, per Cody Westerlund of CBS Chicago:

I can't say that I was surprised. I knew it had to be one of us, to tell you the truth. Obviously, I enjoyed playing with him. I came into the league when he was the MVP. I got so much respect for the guy. I have no bad things to say about him. I wish him the best moving forward.

The Bulls traded Rose to the New York Knicks on June 22 in exchange for center Robin Lopez and point guards Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon. The move provoked differing opinions, with some saying the Knicks overpaid for a declining star and others complimenting New York's relative lack of opportunity cost.

Lopez will presumably be the Bulls' starting center, and his contract (three years, approximately $41 million remaining) will look good after this summer's cap bonanza. But he's a league-average starter ...

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