Jimmy Butler’s Price Tag Too High for Celtics
Acquiring Jimmy Butler would come at too high of a cost
The Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves have both been rumored to be interested in acquiring Chicago Bulls‘ star shooting guard Jimmy Butler via a blockbuster trade. Butler has been involved in talks around the NBA as one of the most likely stars to have a new home next season.
“Sources say that the Bulls naturally would demand a significant amount in return to part with Butler, which likely translates to at least one front-line player in addition to a top lottery pick this month” per ESPN.
The Chicago Bulls surprisingly struggled this past season going 42-40, which was good for 9th in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs by just two games. With talent like Butler, Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, and others on the roster, they left a lot of people wondering what was missing from this team.
Adding the recent news of Joakim Noah saying that he will “listen to every offer on the table” after being the heart and soul of Chicago basketball for years has a lot of people questioning the team’s immediate plans going forward.
With all the question marks surrounding the Bulls’ franchise, this off-season could be the time to try to lure away their top talent.
Jimmy Butler is definitely the biggest asset that the Bulls have to offer and he won’t come cheap. If they indeed look to move Butler, the move could be seen as the beginning of a Bulls rebuilding project with their young head coach Fred Hoiberg at the helm.
The Celtics and Timberwolves have been in the lead of any Butler-trade talks because of the large amount of assets each team has in its possession. The Timberwolves have an exceptional amount of young talent on the roster already lead by Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and Zach LaVine and also have the 5th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
On the other hand, the Celtics have a combination of players and picks at their disposal, including eight picks in this year’s draft; the most of any team. Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, and Kelly Olynyk are names at the top of the list that Boston would consider moving to acquire Butler. Isaiah Thomas is really the only player I can’t see Boston parting with at this point.
This is where the problem lies for general manager Danny Ainge and the Celtics: Should they mortgage a big part of their future away for one of the top two-way players in the game?
Fair compensation for a player like Jimmy Butler may include a package such as the third pick, Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and another first round pick from Boston, as the Timberwolves have been rumored to be including the fifth pick and/or possibly top-prospect and former number one pick Andrew Wiggins, who has more trade value than anyone on the Celtics’ roster.
With the third pick from Boston, the Chicago Bulls would likely select athletic Providence point guard Kris Dunn barring the event that Simmons or Ingram slide out of the top-2 spots which is seemingly very unlikely.
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According to ESPN, “The Boston Celtics, who hold the No. 3 overall pick, are also known to have trade interest in Butler, while sources say that the Bulls are highly intrigued by Providence guard Kris Dunn, who is projected to be selected in the 3-to-5 range in the June 23 draft.”
With this in mind, the Celtics would arguably be trading away three starting caliber players for Butler if you include a mix-and-match of Dunn, Olynyk, Crowder, and Bradley.
That price is simply too steep for a player who wouldn’t be the team’s offensive leader as it is presently constructed. Adding the fact that Boston reportedly will have around $50 million in cap space this off-season,
giving them the ability to sign two max-level free agents, trading so much for Butler doesn’t seem logical in my mind at this time.
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With the 2016 NBA free agency class being so strong, Boston should utilize their cap and find a player or two that they wouldn’t have to give up an arm and a leg for with a similar skill set as Jimmy Butler is a rare commodity in today’s NBA. Harrison Barnes might be a possibility once the free agency period begins in terms of a similar player.