Chicago Bulls 2015 Free Agents: Should the Bulls Re-Sign Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Aaron Brooks?

By Damon Salvadore First Posted: Apr 11, 2015 12:05 PM EDT

The Chicago Bulls will make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season this year most likely as a No. 3 or No. 4 seed. But, general manager Gar Forman always has to look forward to the offseason. The Bulls have a lot of big decisions to make this offseason regarding Derrick Rose, free agents and maybe even Tom Thibodeau.

By far the biggest decision the Bulls have to make is with Jimmy Butler.

Butler has played very well this season increasing nearly every major statistic from his earlier seasons. Butler is averaging a career high 20.1 points per game, 38.8 minutes per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, and making over 84 percent of his free throws. The 25-year-old shooting guard is also playing good defense for the Bulls this season.

Butler bet on himself when he declined a $40 million extension to stay with the Bulls. The big question now is, is Butler worth a max contract? He's a great player who has a good all around game, but there are many who don't think Butler should get paid like a superstar.

“I’m not a star. I’m a good role player on a really, really good team, a really, really deep team. I like being a role player. Star has never been next to Jimmy Butler’s name. It never will be. I’ll always be an under-the-radar dawg," Butler said.

Butler has also suffered from many injuries, specifically to the elbow and calf. This is a tough decision because Rose is set to make over $41 million over the next two years. Giving Butler a max contract with an injury prone Rose on the roster who is already making huge dollars brings a lot of risks to the salary cap.

More than likely Butler will get a max contract at the end of this season, and he's earned it. The bigger question then is, what will happen to Rose when his contract expires?

Mike Dunleavy is also set to become a free agent after this season. Although 34 years old, Dunleavy has been an average player for the Bulls over the last two years averaging 10.6 points per game and playing good defense. The Bulls could afford to let Dunleavy walk, but they could also re-sign him for a small amount.

Both Aaron Brooks and Nazr Mohammed have expiring contracts this upcoming offseason. The Bulls could bring back Brooks because he does a good job filling in for Rose when he's injured at the point guard position. Brooks has the second most assists on the Bulls this season. In all likelihood the Bulls will let 37-year-old Mohammed walk as a free agent.

Rumors have also been swirling around that coach Tom Thibodeau could be fired after this year, but nothing has been confirmed.