Jimmy Butler pushing for a trade will be key to keeping Kyrie Irving and LeBron James
Trading for Jimmy Butler is key for the Cleveland Cavaliers keeping Kyrie Irving and LeBron James.
Chicago Bulls small forward Jimmy Butler will be key for the Cleveland Cavaliers chances of keeping Kyrie Irving and LeBron James. For the Cavs, it’s a tale of friendships and championships.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that Butler may push for a Cleveland. In the same report he mentions Irving pushing for a trade if he feels James will leave.
On the court, Butler is a three-time All-Star just entering his prime. With a foundation as a defensive player, he’ll always be consistent on that end. His shooting development has only been matched by Kawhi Leonard over the last few seasons.
To address what the move does for their championships, the comparison to Leonard is valuable when looking at a rematch between the Cavs and Warriors.
Just looking at how Butler and Leonard compare statistically, Butler averaged 1.9 steals per game compared to Leonard’s 1.8, 3.8 defensive win shares compared to 4.7 for Leonard and a defensive box plus/minus of 1.1 compared to Leonard’s 1.5.
In between the lines, Butler is a physical and aggressive defender with impressive instincts and mobility. With Butler in Kevin Love’s place against the Warriors, he can guard Kevin Durant at the start of games as James guards Draymond Green.
Considering how Leonard bothered Durant in the Western Conference Finals, Butler has a chance to do the same. The Cavs also need to improve the transition defense, it will be a lot harder to beat Butler down the court than Irving, Love and an aging often times complaining James. Butler’s hunger to be the best in the game lends itself to him going all-out all game. That’s emotional fire they need to treat the regular season like it matters, build good habits and have the drive to go wire-to-wire with the Warriors and win.
It’s a better matchup for the Cavs at the power forward position because James and Green are similar in terms of strength and strengths but James is much more athletic. Because Green isn’t a great three-point shooter, James can play off him defensively and roam the driving and passing lanes.
After turnovers, Butler and James could be a dynamic duo in transition with above-the-rim finishes.
Offensively, because James would be a ball-handler on the perimeter and not a spot-up shooter, the Cavs will have more success attacking the paint. As the Warriors have shown, fielding a lineup four or five deep with able ball-handlers and passers will make it unreasonably easy to score.
Butler averaged 23.9 points per game last season while shooting 45.5 percent from the field. He made 40.7 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes.
Looking at his shot chart on Vorped, Butler excels from corner to corner shooting baseline and is better above the left break, areas where Love was a strong shooter. Irving’s shot selection doesn’t overlap due to the latter’s affinity for shots above the elbow and from the top of the key.
With Butler’s fit and ability to impact both ends, he gives the Cavs the best chance to win. While building a better bench matters, that should keep James in town, as he’ll have a starting lineup that can win any championship.
James could leave if he sees a better opportunity to win elsewhere and while Irving will leave if James does, with Butler and Irving’s bond, Irving could stay regardless.