The Denver Nuggets have long had interest in Chicago Bulls superstar and noted Denver Nuggets / Demaryius Thomas fan, Jimmy Butler. ESPN’s Jeff Goodman is reporting that the Nuggets have called (or been called) about a possible trade for Butler.

Butler is one of the 10 best players in the NBA and on a contract that is below market value for what he brings to the table. He is set to make less than $20 million for each of the next two seasons. On the open market, Butler would be worth a max contract worth nearly 50% more than that. He also has a player option for a 3rd season after that in 2019-20. In short, Butler is a rare superstar on a below market deal that still has several years left on his deal.

As the report indicates, Denver would have to offer quite a bit in a trade to lure him away from Chicago. My guess is that Emmanuel Mudiay and Malik Beasley are more “throw-ins” in a deal and any deal will most likely include at least one of Juancho Hernangomez, Jamal Murray, or Gary Harris.

Butler has some loose ties to Denver. He is a huge Demaryius Thomas fan and by extension, a Denver Broncos fan. He even visited Denver to attend a Broncos game back in 2015.

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Butler averaged 23.9 points per game last season to go along with 5.5 assists, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.9 steals.

Update

Jimmy Butler has been traded to the Denver Nuggets……’s division rival, the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Bulls are also sending the 16th pick. This is the worst deal I’ve heard of in months. Probably since February 12th.