Jimmy Butler rejected the Chicago Bulls' final contract extension offer on Friday and will become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2015.

“It came down to me deciding that I want to bet on myself,” Butler told Yahoo Sports in a text message on Friday. “It was about me believing that I put the work in this summer to become a better player with the hope that my improvement will give the Bulls a better chance to win a championship.”

The Bulls would have the option to match any offer sheet Butler were to sign on the open market, but it could threaten their payroll structure or allow him to become an unrestricted free agent in 2017. 

“All the [rookie extension] deals done so far have shown that teams are building around their stars of the future, and they’re compensating those players as such,” agent Happy Walters told Yahoo Sports on Friday. “I was under the impression Jimmy was also viewed as one of those future building blocks with the Bulls.

“We tried like heck to get something done, but ultimately, the Bulls wanted a ‘hometown’ discount. While understandable, I doubt their GM or coaches give Mr. Reinsdorf a discount when negotiating their own deals.”