Jimmy Butler gave himself an ultimatum last Fall.
Before the rookie extension deadline on Halloween, and before the Chicago Bulls were set to take the floor against LeBron James and the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers, Butler declined the four-year, $44 million extension offered to him by the Bulls front office.
After declining the last-minute offer from the Bulls, Yahoo Sports NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski provided more details by speaking with both Butler and his agent, Happy Walters.
“It came down to me deciding that I want to bet on myself,” Butler told Yahoo Sports in a text message on Friday.