Boston Celtics trying to trade for Jimmy Butler? What it means for Cavs

If the Boston Celtics trade for Jimmy Butler, how would the deal effect the Cleveland Cavaliers?

After deciding to trade the number one overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Boston Celtics hauled in a number of valuable first-round picks. According to basketball insider Adam Zagoria and Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, the Celtics may not be done wheeling and dealing, as a trade for Chicago Bulls small forward Jimmy Butler seems to be next on the Celtics itinerary.

Using the picks they’d be getting from trading the top pick in the 2017 NBA Draft to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Boston Celtics could put together a trade package for Butler. Or, as Zagoria mentioned, involve the 76ers even further by making it a three-team deal involving players like Jahlil Okafor.

If it was a three-team deal, it could look like this:

Boston Celtics receive Jimmy Butler

Chicago Bulls receive the 76ers’ third overall pick in 2017 NBA Draft, Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, a first-round pick in 2021, Gerald Henderson, Jae Crowder and Jahlil Okafor

Philadelphia 76ers receive the Celtics’ first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Avery Bradley and Tyler Zeller

If it’s a traditional two-team trade, the Bulls would still get the same draft picks. However, they’d get Bradley and Crowder rather than Henderson, Crowder and Okafor. The 76ers would simply receive the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Butler is a player who the Celtics could (a) have guard LeBron James and (b) make James work on the defensive end at the small forward position. Butler is one of the better slashers, mid-range shooters and post-up players on the wings. Last season, he also turned into a solid off-ball weapon as he made 36.4 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes.

On the defensive end, Butler is a tenacious perimeter defender with a great physique and instincts as well as quick hands. Shots won’t come easy for the best wings like James, Paul George and DeMar Derozan when they meet the Celtics in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

After trading for Butler, the Celtics would then be expected to chase small forward Gordon Hayward (UTA) in free agency. Hayward played for Celtics’ coach Brad Stevens at Butler University, where they led the team all the way to the National Final game in 2010. Since coming to the NBA, Hayward has been one of the better scorers at the forward position. He’s an intelligent and efficient player who can shoot, attack off-the-dribble and has a surprising amount of athleticism.

With Butler, Hayward and Al Horford as the Boston Celtics frontcourt, Isaiah Thomas will have plenty of room to operate in the lane because of the space he’ll be afforded with them on the court. When the lane collapses, Thomas will have three All-Star caliber players to pass out to.

For the record, Butler averaged 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game last season. He shot 45.5 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from three-point range and 86.5 percent from the free-throw line.

Hayward, who made an astonishing 48.6 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes last season, averaged 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He shot 47.1 percent from the field, 39.8 percent from three-point range and 84.4 percent from the free-throw line.

The astute, and highly skilled Horford made 51.0 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes last season. He averaged 14.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the field, 35.5 percent from three-point range and 80.0 percent from the free-throw line.

These players are all skilled enough to act as facilitators and both Butler and Hayward are plus scorers. With Horford’s mobility, shooting and passing ability, the Boston Celtics would have the most dynamic frontcourt in the NBA outside of the Golden State Warriors.

Thomas, who averaged 28.9 points per game last season, will also be allowed to play off-ball more. With his size, at 5-foot-9, and how easy it is to key in on him without other great scorers beside him, the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to expose him in the playoffs using traps that rattled his confidence since he couldn’t split them or see over them. He ended up allowing others to try to make a play more often than he would have throughout the regular season.

With Butler and Hayward attacking the rim, Thomas will be left open from behind-the-line as the defense collapses. With his quickness and ability to score around the rim, Thomas could opt to attack a scrambled defense off-the-dribble. However, while he made 37.9 percent of his three-point attempts last season, he made 42.4 percent of his catch-and-shoot attempts. That would also be a solid option for Thomas.

With a Big Four in Beantown, the top-seed in the Eastern Conference would be a lot more formidable and could force the Cavs into a seven-game series because of the amount of talent and versatility they’d have on their roster.

The Celtics would actually be so versatile that Kevin Love would be a defensive liability in the frontcourt unless the Cavs moved Love to the center position or trusted Tristan Thompson to try to contain either Butler or Hayward off-the-dribble.

Issues like that make it more possible that the Cleveland Cavaliers put together a trade for Carmelo Anthony or Paul George. Both are true perimeter player unlike Love, and much more experienced in trying to contain dribble-penetration. In addition, their offensive capabilities in isolation would make the Cavs much harder to defend one-on-one.

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