Did his performance in the playoffs change your opinion of whether the Celtics should trade for Jimmy Butler?
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After watching the ups and downs of Jimmy Butler closely in the first round, does that make you want the Celtics to trade for him any more or less than you did before? He’s pretty great all-around, but doesn’t shoot 3s well, and that team is a mess. Curious how he’d fit here, but lukewarm on actually trading for him considering what it would cost. You? – Bob T.
I’m with ya. It really only emboldened my previous opinion, and I’ve been in the No Thanks group all along.
Butler is an outstanding player, one of the 10-15 finest in the league, a big-time scorer who plays defense. He averaged 22.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the series. He was also one of the few Bulls who didn’t quit five seconds after the opening tip Friday night.
But I was reluctant to pay the rumored minimum cost for him at the trading deadline (this year’s Nets pick, Marcus Smart, and Jae Crowder, with Jaylen Brown and Avery Bradley’s names also popping up in rumors). I like this team and what they have.
I definitely don’t want to pay it now, with the Nets pick so close to becoming reality and Smart’s importance in setting the defensive and emotional tone for one of the eight remaining teams still playing becoming more and more obvious.
Butler is signed for the next two years with a player option for the third, but if you trade for him now at a steep cost, where does that leave the Celtics? I’m not sure they’d be better than they are now.
And isn’t it the best player’s duty to make sure a team doesn’t become dysfunctional? I’m not sure Butler’s personality fits the Celtics’ personality or culture.
What do you think? Did your opinion of Jimmy Butler – and whether you want him on the Celtics – change? Have at it in the comments.
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