Butler was reportedly dealt from the Chicago Bulls for guards Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn, plus the No. 7 overall pick during Thursday's National Basketball Association draft, according to multiple outlets.
Proving few stars are irreplaceable, the Bulls traded fan favorite Jimmy Butler - finally - to former coach Tom Thibodeau's Minnesota Timberwolves in a move more anticipated than shocking. They acquired a pair of guards in Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn, and the No. 7 pick which they used to select Arizona power forward Lauri Markkanen.
Minnesota is sending guards Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn to the Bulls, as well as the number seven pick in this year's draft in return for the three-time all-star. Butler averaged 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists a game last season, while shooting.455 from the field.
LaVine was miscast as a point guard for the early part of his career and showed nice improvement past year after head coach Tom Thibodeau started playing him more as a shooting guard. Butler gives Thibodeau the tough-minded scorer and hard-nosed defender that he has been searching for to complement a promising young core.
The Bulls had targeted both Dunn and LaVine ahead of last year's draft as well, but weren't overly impressed with the Timberwolves' offer at that time. "Quite honestly, I thought that he was going to be traded last summer", said Ainge.
The 76ers went all out to get their man, trading their third overall pick plus a future first-round pick to the Boston Celtics to secure the Maryland native. Markkanen was arguably the best shooter in the draft and brings much needed marksmanship to this Bulls roster.
"I would see Luol [Deng] come to the facility at night to work on some things, and he would have Jimmy right there by his side", Thibodeau said last season of Butler's 2011-12 campaign. He averaged 18.9 points last season while shooting 39 percent from three before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in February.
Tropical Storm Cindy expected to make landfall Wednesday
The National Weather Service says that the highest rainfall totals will be seen in the Delta region, from El Dorado to Monticello. Those storms will then spread across the southern half of the state with the southeast region predicted to get the most rain.
Minnesota is getting one of the best two-way players in the National Basketball Association in Butler. They were 24th in three-point percentage and 28th in three-pointers made, so adding a player that hit 42.3 percent of his threes at Arizona can do nothing but help.
Also, with the addition of a new point guard, the Bulls may officially say goodbye to Rajon Rondo. However, LaVine is coming off of an ACL injury, and there are questions surrounding his health. The shoes were Big Baller Brand, the luxury apparel company started by him and his father, and he put them on about five minutes before his name was even called, he said.
He was third-team, All-NBA this year, and one more all-league selection within the next two seasons would have qualified him for a designated-player exception under the new collective bargaining agreement.
Dunn is a player that did not really show anything in his rookie season with Minnesota.
As the 2017 NBA Draft kicked off and the Philadelphia 76ers selected Markelle Fultz with the first overall pick, the first blockbuster trade of the offseason went down nearly simultaneously.
It's a bold move for the Bulls as they try to climb in the Eastern Conference after getting knocked out of the playoffs by Boston in the first round.
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