I can see the flip side that the fans wouldn't want it and they would want a star in return for Butler, but generally we don't see very many trades that work out that way. Often the team that lets the star go doesn't always get an instant return for them and it generally includes: draft picks, developing players, solid veteran talent. Now if I was a Bulls fan reading that trade offer, of course I would shake my head and would be against it. I would have that same attitude if someone pitched the following to us:
- We Send: DeMarcus Cousins
- We Receive: Victor Oladipo, Nikola Vucevic, and Orlando's 2016 first round pick and perhaps another first round pick.
But what we need to appreciate in that scenario is that in all likelihood we would be moving on from Cousins because we feel that he is part of the problem or simply want to start a new era of Kings basketball with a new look roster. Now don't get me wrong if we got this return from Orlando I wouldn't be devastated because Oladipo and Vucevic are still young players trending upwards. Oladipo is a high energy player, who plays excellent defense and is a bit streaky on the offensive end, but overall he is a very good two way player. Vucevic isn't a dominant center, but he has good touch on the offensive end with a well balanced set of skills, and he isn't a slouch on the defensive end. Overall two good players that would slot in nicely at SG and C. We would then have the #8 and #11 pick in the draft, which isn't ideal to find new star talent but there are some intriguing players and perhaps we could package them to move up in the draft, or acquire a young talent. Essentially this would be a rebuild/retool, Cousins would be gone, we would probably let Rondo walk, and perhaps look to trade Rudy Gay as well. Go with a new young roster and hope to develop into a more well rounded team under a new coaching regime.
The difference with the Bulls is that if they trade Butler, they will want to be as competitive as possible. Cousins would be ideal on paper but he would pose similar problems because he could clash with Rose, just like the rumors suggest about the clashes between Rose and Butler. So if they choose to build around Rose because they can't shift his contract, or they prefer him, then they will want to put together a good supporting cast. The trade suggested might not be the best value they could get in terms of assets, but they are unlikely to get a star in return because teams generally want to keep their stars and support them, and this would certainly give them an upgrade at SF, a talent at SG, a decent C, and a draft pick - and that's if they didn't get anything more from us. They might even have space to pursue one of the better SG free agents like DeRozan. So the deal wouldn't be them blowing it up and starting over, it would simply be staying competitive and adding good players to support Rose, and not cause any issues - something Cousins could do.
That said, if I was them I would lean more towards trading Rose than Butler because Butler is ascending while Rose looks to have lost a step or two. Build around Butler, trade Rose for whatever they can get, and then use free agency to build him a supporting cast and let him be the leader. That's what I would do or want as a Bulls fan. Not some trade like the one I suggested, or one that a team like Orlando or another middling team could offer, because generally we don't see star for star talent trades.