Boston Celtics Lowballed Chicago Bulls for Jimmy Butler

The Boston Celtics wanted Jimmy Butler but didn’t want to pay the price

It was madness leading up to the Boston Celtics selecting Jaylen Brown with the third pick in Thursday’s draft. Reports of the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls or Philadelphia 76ers trying to hash out a deal were in full gear. It ended up not getting done, however, K.C. Johnson, a Chicago Bulls writer, later reported that the Celtics offered Jae Crowder and the 3rd and 16th picks in the draft for star shooting guard Jimmy Butler.

Saw @KCJHoop reported Celtics offered No. 3/16/Crowder for Butler. Like, that is garbage.
— Jason Patt (@Bulls_Jay) June 26, 2016

I got a sense on Twitter that a lot of Celtics fans believed this was more than enough, or even too much. In reality, it’s not even close and the Bulls were probably the ones laughing in the Celtics’ faces.

To start off, Jae Crowder isn’t a star, and Jimmy Butler is. In a way, Crowder is a poor man’s Jimmy Butler, but he’s single-handedly not enough to bring your team to the playoffs. Yes, the Bulls missed the playoffs this season but they were decimated with injuries, plus the Celtics have a better overall team.

With that being said, there’s a reason why teams were trying so hard to obtain Butler on draft night and why the Bulls were reluctant of giving him up – he’s a franchise player. There aren’t many players around the league you can confidently build your team around, and once you get one it’s a huge step back trading him, especially when you have no chance at a star in return.

If the Celtics wanted to have the Bulls listen, they would have had to include the Brooklyn Nets 2017 swap rights, and possibly another player. It seems like a steep price, however, like previously noted, Butler makes your team better right away. Instead, Boston is still in limbo where they drafted rookies with potential but they could end up like the rest of their roster, above-average but not great.

The fact of the matter is the Bulls needed to feel like they had a chance to get a star in return, and they didn’t. Sure, Kris Dunn could have turned into a star for the Bulls, and Jae Crowder still has potential, but it’s hard to assume that Crowder is a sure bet to reach stardom in the NBA, and Dunn is just one lottery pick.

Adding the Brooklyn Nets 2017 swap rights in a loaded draft would have certainly made the Bulls listen. Not only would they have been able to add their franchise point guard and a solid replacement for Butler, but they would also have a chance to land a star next year. It would be the perfect way to start their rebuild, which is why the Bulls didn’t want to give up Butler unless it was for a truckload.

Even though the Bulls traded Derrick Rose last week, they still don’t consider themselves in rebuild mode. They believe Butler can be their franchise player, and with a couple of more pieces around him, they’ll be a force to be reckoned with again.

By now, Boston may be screaming at the idea of giving up all that. But in reality, unless the Celtics sign a top-tier free agent, which is looking to be a fainter and fainter chance, they’ll be a first round exit again. For as much as Boston loves Crowder, the city has to admit Butler is on another tier. Heck, Butler is on the Olympic team this year, Crowder wasn’t even mentioned.

And yes, having Crowder locked up over the next four years on $8 million or less is a huge addition to his output, but Butler also has a very team-friendly contract. He signed a five-year, max contract last off-season, however, with the salary cap going up, he’s a bargain for a franchise player. Having a player at his caliber for under $20 million a year will be unheard of over the next couple of off-seasons.

In the end, Boston still ended up with Jaylen Brown, a player that could end up being the next Jimmy Butler. Just like Butler, Brown is entering the league as a defensive-minded player, with a struggling jump shot but is seen as an athlete.

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Butler shot 39.7 percent from the field in his third year in the league before his breakout season the next year. Not only does it show you the similarities between the two’s games, but it also highlights it takes time to get accustomed to the NBA, and it will take Brown time on offense.

Even though Brown could end up being a star, this trade proposal makes me wonder if the Celtics were getting “ripped-off” as their front office put it, or if their trade proposals were just this bad. The third pick didn’t carry as much weight as it usually does around the league.

Making the deal a little more enticing would have made the Bulls more willing to enter a rebuilding stage, and the Celtics would have gotten their star to take them to the next level. At least Boston took a step by adding Crowder to the deal, unlike what they did at the deadline, but it takes more to land a franchise player.

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Boston might be happy with their roster, especially coming off a 48-win season, but unless they land a star in free agency or via a trade, they have a second round cap in the playoffs. Great team play and a deep roster will only take you so far, you need a player who can take over on offense, and frankly, Isaiah Thomas isn’t that guy in the playoffs.

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