First things first, it feels great to no longer deal with this first round playoff talk! Regardless of trade deadline thoughts, Rondo's injury, no fireworks at the draft etc., the direction of this team is very difficult to criticize after a 3rd straight season with legitimate improvement. I have always maintained the position that I will trust the process as long as we continue to improve each season while maintaining flexibility with our roster and draft picks.
Anyways, my friend and I were talking about the idea of pairing Jimmy Butler and Gordon Hayward after last nights game. For arguments sake let's assume Hayward comes to Boston. How much is everyone willing to part with in order to bring in Jimmy Butler? I will start by commenting on the players that I believe are guaranteed to be involved.
Avery Bradley - Is it not awesome to see a healthy Avery Bradley playing at his best in the playoffs? He has truly become a great player that I think can be a starting 2 on a legitimate East contender. I think we are all impressed with his defensive effort on Butler throughout the series. Even more impressive was his ability to score at high level deep into the series without any drop-off on the defensive end. The major downside for AB will always be durability. I would hate to see him leave but I would pull the trigger on the right Butler deal.
Jae Crowder - Jae has been one of the more confusing players throughout this season. He spent all summer working on his shooting range and it looked like he had become an excellent spot up shooter. Unfortunately it's not translating into the playoffs and his shooting in general has slipped throughout the season. His ability to attack the basket is also severely limited against playoff caliber defense. We all know what Jae can bring on the defensive end but let's face the facts. Jimmy can do everything Jae does and a lot more. This upcoming series with Washington is a big one for Crowder. It's his turn to leave a lasting imprint on a series. We are going to need his best to get by Washington.
Jimmy Butler - I honestly like the idea of bringing in Jimmy more after watching this series. He is in a toxic situation in Chicago and for the most part I thought he gave 110% every night. It's also clear that he was laboring from knee pain as the series went deeper. Jimmy is clearly willing to do whatever it takes to win and I believe his scoring efficiency would be through the roof if he was paired with IT and Hayward. There's no reason to think that he wouldn't thrive under Brad's system and our culture. Ultimately, Jimmy's biggest value would ultimately be in a playoff series against the Cavs. I love the idea of him defending LeBron for 7 games while only being the 3rd scoring option.
What does everyone think about the remaining pieces that would be needed to make a trade for Butler? Marcus, Jaylen, Terry, BK17 and BK18, would all be discussed for sure. Also, does anyone want us to take back anything else from Chicago?
As for my final thoughts, Jimmy becomes way more valuable to me if we can bring in a guy like Hayward. Jimmy alone doesn't move the needle enough for me to part with too many assets.