Report: Butler warned new Bulls about front-office snitch in locker room

The Chicago Bulls' issues go deeper than their struggles to put up quality efforts night in and night out.

After last week's media firestorm surrounding the issues between Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo, and the rest of the Bulls, reports show the team disconnect goes well beyond players on the court.

Butler, along with a handful of other Bulls, are reportedly concerned about a front office spy in the locker room, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times. Butler has apparently warned incoming players that if they don't want general manager Gar Forman to get wind of concerns or complaints, they're best to keep them to themselves around assistant coaches - specifically Randy Brown.

There is a widespread belief in the organization that management tries to gain as much information about players they can to potentially use down the line when an inevitable break up occurs.

“They did it with (Luol Deng), they did it with (Joakim Noah), and Derrick (Rose),’’ a source told Cowley. “That’s how they operate.’’

This comes in the wake of a story from ESPN's Ryan Russillo, who told the "Mike and Mike" radio show about Butler's immense distrust for the Bulls front office, which dates back to the summer of 2014 when he turned down a four-year, $44-million contract offer.

“(A member of the) front office went to Jimmy Butler and said ‘if you don’t sign this extension, we’re going to play Tony Snell over you. We are going to give you his minutes and that’s going to drop your minutes and numbers down,’” Russillo said.

Butler essentially bet on himself, and won, playing well enough to force the Bulls to give him a max deal of five years, $95 million in the summer of 2015.