Butler distances himself from trainer who slammed Bulls after trade

Jimmy Butler was entirely gracious in his unceremonious exit from the Chicago Bulls after the NBA draft.

Not only did Butler thank the city and the organization for embracing him, he also distanced himself from his trainer, Travelle Gaines, who ripped the Bulls for how they carried themselves in dealing away their franchise player.

"That's his tweet," Butler told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. "I don't control his Twitter. He has the right to say whatever he wants to say. Whoever has a problem with it, take it up with him.

"That's his choice, his words. Of course I know about it. I didn't have too much to say about it to him. I just told him, 'Hey, you did that, you deal with the consequences if there are any.' But I don't think there will be."

Gaines was irate after the Bulls flipped him to the Minnesota Timberwolves to spark a rebuild. He vented his frustrations in the heat of the moment, but later deleted the tweet.