National Basketball Association

Jimmy Butler shares goodbye to his 'brother' Derrick Rose after Bulls-Knicks trade

Published Jun. 22, 2016 9:30 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

While the immediate timing was surprising, it makes a lot of sense that the Chicago Bulls decided to end the Derrick Rose era on Wednesday by trading him to the New York Knicks. Rose isn't the star he used to be, and the Bulls needed to move on if they were truly going to start rebuilding around Jimmy Butler.

There were rumors of tension between the Bulls' two best players going as far back as the 2015 playoffs, although those whispers were never really substantiated. Butler himself tried to dismiss them toward the end of this season, in fact, emphasizing how much the two went through together and how people want to pick you apart when you're losing. So when the trade became official, Butler said a heartfelt goodbye to "my point guard, my brother" in the manner of our time -- an Instagram post.

Touching, but this can get sadder. You know, more heartfelt. It's the end of an era, for goodness' sake. One second, let me set the mood:

Awwww, yeah. That's the good stuff. Let the tears flow, Bulls fans. It's okay. Cry it out.

Anyway. The line about "work ethic" is particularly notable, as one of the reported rifts between Butler and Rose had to do with Butler's (again, reported) lack of respect for Rose's work ethic. Perhaps it's a coincidence that Butler referenced that particular cliche; he probably doesn't care what we in the media think. Or maybe it's a clear refutation of the innuendo that surrounded this team all season.

Either way, I have a question: Can Rose have Butler's boombox fish tank as a going away gift? ... no? Cool. Cool. It would probably take up too much space in New York anyway.