One can assume that LeBron James already is aware of this and is part of the reason he is openly frustrated with the Cavaliers off-season, but if he wasn’t aware this won’t make the situation any better.
According to a Report from Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, the Cavaliers were almost able to finalize a deal for Jimmy Butler on the day David Griffin was ousted as general manager.
Here is an excerpt from the piece:
“Further exacerbating James’ frustration is the Cavs were close to making a deal for then-Chicago Bulls All-Star Jimmy Butler the day Gilbert decided to mutually part ways with Griffin and Redden, two people familiar with negotiations told USA TODAY Sports.”
Yikes. A report from about a month ago stated that Griffin left notes in the office on how to bring the trade together, but no one was able to follow through and make it happen before the Bulls agreed to trade Butler to the Timberwolves on draft night.
While it is unknown what the rumored deal would have included, if it featured Kevin Love it was most definitely better than the return the Bulls got which included Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and what ended up being Lauri Markannen of course. If the deal didn’t include Love, rather picks and assets from other teams then the Cavaliers fans and team should all gather their pitchforks and march to Dan Gilbert’s office, which might actually be in Detroit.
It’s hard to really validate a trade like this after the situation, but missing out on the chance to acquire a player like Jimmy Butler is a big time mistake for the Cavaliers and one that could come back to bite them this season.
