RealGM

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of several team preparing maximum-salary offer sheets for Jimmy Butler in free agency, league sources told RealGM.

Butler will be a restricted free agent this summer after the Chicago Bulls were unable to sign him to an extension. The Bulls can offer Butler an extra season in his contract.

Butler also won the NBA's Most Improved Player award this week.

Via Shams Charania/RealGM

interesting...butler and rondo each for max.

It would be a dream having him, but I'm afraid that the Bulls will match any offer he'll decide to accept.

inquisitive wrote:interesting...butler and rondo each for max.

Anybody who gives Rondo a max is drunk

It's nice to want things. Butler will be a Bull next season. He is the best two wing in the league.

Fill in the blank guys!!!

Lakers plan to pursue ___________ this off-season.

Anyone with demand for their talents will be pursued by each organization this summer, under contract or not... But the Lakers have nobody, so they're pretty much chasing everybody (minus two guards because... Kobe).

Why is this even a discussion? Lakers are a rebuilding team. Why would butler join them with Kobe already consenplating retirement after the season. Then you have to look at who is on the current roster. Julius randle,(unknown) Jordan clarkson, (when Kobe and swaggy get back where does he fit) boozer prob gone to a different team making a final push for a ring. Jordan hill? He's good but mediocre good.maybe little better then mediocre. Adding jimmy to that isn't a championship team. Just a team okc puts out in the second round. Plus why would he leave the east with no real threat other then the cavs. Plus rose, Noah and gasol are all stars and future hall of famers.on top of a deep bench. Just go after kwahi leonard. Spurs may not have Duncan and ginobli. Least that makes more sense.

Jimmy Butler would probably like to stay with the Bulls but seeing a "goon" like him on the Lakers, that would be WONDERFUL.

Please understand how I am using the word "goon" it is not insult it is more of a compliment meaning that he was on of those defenders who you don't want to mess with on the court and off the court. Basically in terms he's tough as nails.

not many big names are changing teams this year, its gonna be a boring FA year imo...better focus on the B and C free agents

lakers plan to pursue every1 lmao

Chicago already said they will 100% match any offer Butler receives.

No chance he leaves

luss54321 wrote:Chicago already said they will 100% match any offer Butler receives.

No chance he leaves

Source:

John Paxson tells @WaddleandSilvy that Bulls will match any offer sheet Jimmy Butler signs — even if it’s a max offer.

— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 22, 2015

Waste of time...the Bulls will match any offer JB gets

inquisitive wrote:interesting...butler and rondo each for max.

nobody reported LA giving Rondo the max...stop it

inquisitive wrote:interesting...butler and rondo each for max.

Umm Rondo isn't getting the max...

And so is half the league. Weren't the lakers gonna offer Dragic the max too?

Teams with cap space know these young guys want their first BIG max contract. The biggest problem with the lakers is Kobe, he's still on the team, who knows when he will retire. Kobe has a history of degrading his team in the media/practices and putting most of the blame on teammates. He called this years team half filled with min contracts "soft", he called Dwight "soft", he probably was the one spreading the Pau Gasol is "soft" too. You know who wasn't soft? Shaq. Oh wait, he called him lazy and fat. But Dwight wasn't lazy or fat, oh let's call him "soft" instead. See where this is going? He always finds a way to talk **** about teammates and shift blame. That devalues team mates. Any free agent considering the lakers should see that. Down the road after he's blamed you for everything, how's that going to affect your NEXT contract? That's why any young player with brains isn't going to the Lakers until Kobe retires.

Maybe the Lakers can score Kevin Love this offseason when he heals from his dislocated shoulder. But I'm already calling that Kobe will call him "soft" before that season is over. There is no winning playing with Kobe. You can only lose.

Good luck

trustykilo wrote:And so is half the league. Weren't the lakers gonna offer Dragic the max too?

Teams with cap space know these young guys want their first BIG max contract. The biggest problem with the lakers is Kobe, he's still on the team, who knows when he will retire. Kobe has a history of degrading his team in the media/practices and putting most of the blame on teammates. He called this years team half filled with min contracts "soft", he called Dwight "soft", he probably was the one spreading the Pau Gasol is "soft" too. You know who wasn't soft? Shaq. Oh wait, he called him lazy and fat. But Dwight wasn't lazy or fat, oh let's call him "soft" instead. See where this is going? He always finds a way to talk **** about teammates and shift blame. That devalues team mates. Any free agent considering the lakers should see that. Down the road after he's blamed you for everything, how's that going to affect your NEXT contract? That's why any young player with brains isn't going to the Lakers until Kobe retires.

Maybe the Lakers can score Kevin Love this offseason when he heals from his dislocated shoulder. But I'm already calling that Kobe will call him "soft" before that season is over. There is no winning playing with Kobe. You can only lose.

5 championships = Lose? Okay, I'm not a kobe fan, but you lost all credibility with that statement. I agree with everything else you said though, most players don't want to play with kobe, and that will be a negative, but LA has a draw that will entice some players. If they can get two big names to come, I don't see why they can't be good. Two decent players with kobe will be a good team. Butler will be matched by bulls.

Bulls already said they are willing to pay the luxury tax to keep Jimmy. I heard Paxson say it on CSN Sports talk live with my own ears. Jimmy isnt going anywhere.

Keep dreaming LA. Enjoy that mediocrity. Dont worry, Chicago went through it after MJ left. You only have about 10 more years of building through the draft like we did =)

PocketRockets wrote:

trustykilo wrote:And so is half the league. Weren't the lakers gonna offer Dragic the max too?

Teams with cap space know these young guys want their first BIG max contract. The biggest problem with the lakers is Kobe, he's still on the team, who knows when he will retire. Kobe has a history of degrading his team in the media/practices and putting most of the blame on teammates. He called this years team half filled with min contracts "soft", he called Dwight "soft", he probably was the one spreading the Pau Gasol is "soft" too. You know who wasn't soft? Shaq. Oh wait, he called him lazy and fat. But Dwight wasn't lazy or fat, oh let's call him "soft" instead. See where this is going? He always finds a way to talk **** about teammates and shift blame. That devalues team mates. Any free agent considering the lakers should see that. Down the road after he's blamed you for everything, how's that going to affect your NEXT contract? That's why any young player with brains isn't going to the Lakers until Kobe retires.

Maybe the Lakers can score Kevin Love this offseason when he heals from his dislocated shoulder. But I'm already calling that Kobe will call him "soft" before that season is over. There is no winning playing with Kobe. You can only lose.

5 championships = Lose? Okay, I'm not a kobe fan, but you lost all credibility with that statement. I agree with everything else you said though, most players don't want to play with kobe, and that will be a negative, but LA has a draw that will entice some players. If they can get two big names to come, I don't see why they can't be good. Two decent players with kobe will be a good team. Butler will be matched by bulls.

when he says you can only lose, i think he means in an off the court sense. Sure you might be winning games or series...but your teammate is going to **** on you infront of the world