Jimmy Butler is sharing his thoughts about the Bulls post D-Rose trade. In an appearance Wednesday on ESPN’s The Jump, Butler said he knew changes were coming this offseason, adding “I knew it had to be one of us.”
Since Butler’s ascension during Rose’s inactivity due to injury, rumors have circulated that the two players didn’t get along. That coupled with an underwhelming season had many believing Rose would be dealt. Butler was full of praise when discussing Rose, saying:
I have so much respect for the guy. I have no bad things to say about him. Because we didn’t win, I think everything comes up. If we win, there’s nothing to say. We’re fine, we can [get] along together, we’d probably still be teammates to tell you the truth. But we didn’t win. I didn’t do my job, as well as he didn’t.
I don’t believe there was any real issue between the two. Like Butler said, they didn’t perform up to expectations and changes had to be made. The Bulls were on the hook for a large amount of salary with Rose and given his injury history and the team’s poor performance this season, it didn’t add up to a winning formula.
See video from Butler’s interview on the Jump below!