Bulls' Jimmy Butler: 'I just want to win at all costs'

CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler knows there is still a chance he could be traded, but he is trying to focus on finishing the season on a high note with the team that drafted him.

"You can always be moved," Butler said after Friday's shootaround. "I'm just here. I came in and practiced really well. I enjoyed my break. So I'm in high spirits right now."

The Bulls didn't move Butler after much speculation regarding a possible move to the Boston Celtics.

They did, however, make a trade before the deadline Thursday, sending veteran forward Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Cameron Payne, Joffrey Lauvergne and Anthony Morrow.

"Obviously, that's my guys, those two," Butler said. "That hasn't set in that they're my enemy now, but I think it will whenever we have to go up against each other."

Bulls executive vice president John Paxson made it very clear Thursday night that the Bulls didn't feel they were getting enough value back in any potential deal for Butler. He also said he felt like the Bulls were "with" Butler, not "around" him.

"No organization is the same," Butler said Friday, adding that he didn't take Paxson's comments personally. "Everybody operates differently. Everybody's got different personnel, different players. I don't care if anyone wants to build around me, just win. At the end of the day, you win, everything's fine. You're built around; you're not built around. Everybody's happy, so all of that is just background noise. I just want to win at all costs."

Paxson said he spoke to Butler on Thursday about the decisions that had been made. For his part, Butler didn't seem outwardly bothered by all the rumors surrounding his future.

"I think I have one job to do," Butler said. "It's not to worry about whether somebody's loyal or not. It's to go out there and hoop. I think [the front office] is going to put us in the best position possible to win games here. I think they're doing that. What they're doing is what they believe is right for this team. Our job is to go out there and make it work, win games to the best of our ability. Loyalty, no loyalty, go out there and compete."

Butler remains confident that the Bulls can clinch a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. Paxson made it clear that whether the Bulls made the playoffs or not would have no bearing on what happens to Butler in the offseason.

For the time being, Butler is trying to block out the noise that will continue to hover around his future in Chicago.

"I can't think too far ahead or too far behind," Butler said. "I know that, right now, this is the organization I want to be with. These are the guys I want to compete with. These are the coaches I want to play for. That's all that I can really focus on. When everything else comes up then we'll worry about that, but right now I'm not going nowhere, baby."