The Chicago Bulls offered Jimmy Butler a five-year, maximum contract, which made him cancel his meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers (???) and Dallas Mavericks, but that might not be the deal he ends up signing.

Butler doesn’t mind staying with the Bulls, although the rumors about him not being happy with this being “Derrick Rose’s team” still persist. However, a five-year deal now might mean losing money in the future with the big salary cap rise of next season.

At the moment, the offer is $90 million for the next five seasons. There’s also the option of taking a four-year deal or the qualifying offer, but Butler is looking for a short-term lease. Not because he wants to leave, but because it makes sense financially if he believes his ability from last season (Averaging 20 points per game) will continue to be what we see from him.

If he remains at the level of that max player payout, Butler will be worth a lot more money next season. For the Bulls, who plan to match any offer he gets in the offseason, it’s obviously smarter to try and tie him down right now, but Butler might force them to make it a shorter contract, with hie eye constantly on the rising salary cap.