



Bulls forward Jimmy Butler is playing the best basketball of his career right now. A fourth-quarter takeover in Cleveland on Wednesday night led to a road win over the Cavaliers, two days after Butler scored 52 points in a Monday win over the Charlotte Hornets.



But despite his recent dominance, the Bulls’ middle-of-the-pack status in the Eastern Conference and December losing skid have led to persistent questions about the franchise’s long-term direction. And with that has come a resurgence of Butler trade rumors.



The Bulls explored several deals involving Butler on draft night, one day after trading Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks. A Butler trade over the summer would have meant a full-on rebuild; the decision to keep him, along with July’s free-agent signings of Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade marked the end of any thought of going in that direction, at least for the time being.



A Bulls source told The Athletic...