SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jimmy Butler isn’t looking to add general manager to his job description anytime soon.
When discussing the wide-open Eastern Conference, the three-time All-Star wasn’t about to get involved in whether the Bulls’ front office should add to the roster or stand pat.
“Like I always say, that’s not my job,’’ Butler said. “That’s up to them.’’
The decisions vice president of basketball operations John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman make the rest of the way will affect Butler, but he won’t tell them what to do.
“Yes, it does [affect me],’’ Butler said before the Bulls’ 112-107 win over the Kings on Monday. “But that’s their job. My job is to get better every day, go out there and try to win games. I don’t tell them what to do. Like I said before, I don’t move guys. That’s not me. So whatever they decide to do as an organization, we’re all living with that, and we’re all riding with that. We all still have to go out there and try to win no matter the situation we’re put in or the people they put here.’’
The Bulls are seventh in the East, and while some teams such as the Celtics and Wizards have been moving up in the standings, everyone still has their share of flaws.
The Bulls haven’t been strangers to trade talk the last month, starting with veteran Rajon Rondo insisting that he would like to be elsewhere since losing his starting role at the end of December.
With Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic also being mentioned in trade rumors, and Butler not even guaranteed to be around at the deadline Feb. 23, the next few weeks could get interesting.
“I’m sure all 30 teams’ phones are busy,” coach Fred Hoiberg said. “It’s that time of year where everybody’s doing due diligence and doing their job and making calls. When it gets this close to the deadline, things pick up. We’ll see what happens around the league.
“It’s a time where a lot of things are floating around. Our job is to keep our team focused and get them ready to play games and hopefully continue to keep our guys competing and give ourselves a chance to win.’’
The Bulls visited the idea of moving Butler last June before the NBA draft, and the Sun-Times reported last month that the front office had taken calls on moving Butler in December.
It’s no wonder Butler doesn’t deem himself untouchable. He was asked if management had informed him that he’s off the market.
“Nope,” he said. “I don’t care. I just want to hoop.’’
Asked if he was surprised that management hasn’t told him of his standing, Butler said, “Nope. Nothing surprises me nowadays. Anything is possible. It’s a business at the end of the day. I love it here. They know that. The city knows that. [The media] may not know that, so I’ll tell you: I love it here.’’
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Email: jcowley@suntimes.com