- The Boston Celtics were interested in acquiring Jimmy Butler when he was with the Chicago Bulls
- Danny Ainge revealed that the package included the 3rd overall picks in the 2016 and 2017 NBA Drafts
- The Boston Celtics didn’t make the deal and those picks turned into Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum
Jimmy Butler has cemented himself as a Top 10 player in his era after leading the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals twice in the last three years. Butler has thoroughly embraced Miami and ‘Heat Culture,’ but he almost ended up with their rivals, the Boston Celtics. Danny Ainge recently revealed what stopped that from happening.
“Some of the best trades I ever made were the ones I wasn’t able to make,” Ainge said on the Knuckleheads podcast. “You know like I was trying to get Jimmy Butler from Chicago when I was in Boston, but they wanted a lot. And so we didn’t do it.
“It ended up, it would’ve been Jaylen (Brown) and Jayson (Tatum)… Both those draft picks that we got Jaylen and Jayson with. So, that was one where I loved Jimmy and was trying to get him… That was probably one.”
“Some of the best trades I ever made were the ones I wasn’t able to make.” 👀
Danny Ainge reveals plans of bringing Jimmy Butler to Boston to @QRich and @21Blackking.
Y’all don’t want to miss this one. #Knuckleheads. Tap in TOMORROW. pic.twitter.com/CZMqhDZPvC
— The Players’ Tribune (@PlayersTribune) August 14, 2023
The Boston Celtics selected Jaylen Brown using the No. 3 overall pick in 2016 and Jayson Tatum using the No. 3 overall pick in 2017. Both players have blossomed into superstars for the franchise, making the Eastern Conference Finals in four out of six seasons they have played together. They even took the team to the NBA Finals.
Danny Ainge Made The Right Decision To Not Trade For Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler developed into a perennial All-Star by the time he turned 25, making four straight appearances, and averaging 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.8 steals per game in his last three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. His greatness and competitive spirit cannot be questioned, but the numbers show that Danny Ainge made the right choice.
They took a couple of seasons to break out, but in the last three seasons, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have possibly become the best duo in the league. Brown has averaged 25.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game for the last three NBA seasons. Jayson Tatum has been even better, averaging 27.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game in that time.
Jimmy Butler coming to the Boston Celtics and them going on to get Kyrie Irving while also having Gordon Hayward could have made them perennial contenders. But even with the best-case scenario, they would have been approaching the end of their window by now. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both under 27 years of age, so the Celtics will be contenders for a long time to come with the two of them.
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