Butler On Contract Talks With Bulls: 'I Want To Be Here'

(CBS) Jimmy Butler isn't certain how his ongoing contract negotiations with the Bulls will play out, but he's certain of this.

"I want to be here," Butler said Tuesday.

Come evening's end, the fourth-year swingman Butler will have 31 more days to sign an extension before the Oct. 31 deadline. If he hasn't signed an extension by then, he'll become a restricted free agent at season's end. As it is, both Butler and Bulls general manager Gar Forman have confirmed that negotiations are continuing between the team and Butler's representatives, led by agent Happy Walters.

So how close are the sides right now?

"We're really good right now, moving in the right direction," Butler said. "But like I said, that's between them. I just got to be with my teammates."

The Bulls selected Butler with the 30th pick in the 2011 draft, and he ascended into a starting role last season. It's unclear how much money he's asking for, but for reference points, fellow wing Lance Stephenson got a three-year, $27-million deal last offseason, while shooting guard Gordon Hayward got four years and $63 million.

What the Bulls must weigh in negotiations with Butler is his shooting struggles of last season, as well as the big money they have devoted to Derrick Rose and others. He's one of the top perimeter defenders in the game, but he shot just 28 percent from the 3-point line last season. He shot 38 percent from 3-point land in 2012-'13.

Stephenson, of course, is one of the top two-way wings in the NBA, though many speculated his volatile personality cost him money in free agency. Meanwhile, Hayward got his nearly $16-million-per deal after a season in which he averaged 16.2 points on 41 percent shooting, including 30 percent from 3-point land. Butler averaged 13.1 points on 40 percent overall shooting last year.

For his part, Butler is trying to keep his focus on the court.

"I don't really think about it too much," Butler said of negotiations. "I grew up without money. I think I'll be all right for a couple more days. I just play basketball. That's what I know, and if you play basketball the right way, the contract talks will take care of itself.

"I want to be here. I think the Bulls want me here. So however long it takes, as long as we get it worked out (is fine). Basketball is my main focus, not really the contract situation.

"Everybody handles it a little differently. Everybody has a different background and a different family situation. But for me, it's just locking myself into the game. Yeah, I talk about it, and I talk about it with my family. But they tell me the same thing -- the more you put your mind on basketball and work on your game, that's less time you have to think about the contract."