After signing a five-year, $95 million deal to stay with the Bulls, Jimmy Butler has a lot off his mind. His willingness to take the five-year deal after previous reports that he was looking for a shorter contract should put to rest the notion that he is going to have trouble playing with Derrick Rose, as has been reported since the Bulls were eliminated by the Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs. In a new interview with Rolling Stone‘s Seerat Sohi, Butler downplayed any tension with Rose:
Rose and Butler have never had issues before, so it’s hard to see why that would start now, especially after Butler got his big extension. Even if players aren’t the best of friends off the court, there’s no reason that would stop them from being able to play together. New Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg is installing a more dynamic, uptempo offense than the one that was previously employed by Tom Thibodeau, and that should allow both Rose and Butler to thrive.