Pierce: "Jimmy Butler should be a Celtic"

[Chris22]

Fultz is a generational point guard, and I would rather we go after Paul George in free agency next year.

[jambr380]

The only way I'd do that is if we traded something like number 1 and Bradley to Philly for Simmons and number 3, which I still think is a slam dunk deal for both sides. Then I'd trade number three, the 2019 Clippers pick, and Rozier to Chicago for Butler and Portis. That'd leave you with the following lineup:

PG: IT, Smart
SG: Butler, (perhaps Green on the minimum contract)
SF: Crowder, Brown (though hopefully Brown would take the starting spot by the end of the year)
PF: Simmons, Portis
C: Horford, Zizic

I love the look of that team, and the small-ball lineup capabilities are ridiculous.

Otherwise, I'm completely fine taking Fultz and then trying to sign either Griffin or Hayward in free agency.

I would do the Philly deal because I am just as excited about Simmons as I am about Fultz and I think AB needs to be moved anyway (even though I really am a big fan of his).

I also want to sign Hayward, though, so I would wait until after the draft and include the #3 pick's salary in with Crowder (who I REALLY don't want to trade) along with another small salary match - which might not be necessary with AB's salary going out in the Philly deal.

[Phantom255x]

Pierce is literally out there advocating for the C's to go into "win-now" mode, even if it means making a trade with either Brooklyn Pick.

Has he seen the previous Cavs-Celtics series, and this Finals going on right now?

Not even close to either team, though Hayward/Griffin + Fultz would be a step in the right direction.

[Darío SpanishFan]

Should be and could've been.

JuJuan Johnson was more appealing at 27 in 2011, at least for a while.

Jimmy went at 30.

Ouch.

And Jan Vesely went at 6 or Fredette at 10. Let's stop that for a while, come on. All teams have those issues.

[the TRUTH]

I mean, do we even really want Butler for BK18?  The top 4 in that draft are spectacular.  Butler instead of Bradley....I mean is he really that much of an upgrade?  Wouldn't you rather have one of Porter Jr., Bamba (7'9.5" wingspan, 9'5" standing reach), Doncic or Ayton + Bradley than Butler? 

Crowder and Butler would be pretty great together, but that isn't likely to ever beat Cleveland, let alone GSW.  Fultz / Doncic / Brown / Zizic in 5 years has a chance to be really special, though.

Good question. If I knew for sure that the 2018 Nets pick would land in the top four after the lottery, I probably wouldn't make the deal. The issue, for me, is that it's such an unknown. Even without making any major moves, the Nets could conceivably end up with the 5th or 6th worst record, and then do even worse than that in the lottery. On the other hand, Butler is a known commodity that's hypothetically available right now.

[Dannys Chipotle Guy]

Pierce is literally out there advocating for the C's to go into "win-now" mode, even if it means making a trade with either Brooklyn Pick.

Has he seen the previous Cavs-Celtics series, and this Finals going on right now?

Not even close to either team, though Hayward/Griffin + Fultz would be a step in the right direction.

Pierce HATES Lebron and desperately wants to see him dethroned in the East.

[SHAQATTACK]

No way is Jimmy Butler worth Fultz.

you beat me the thought

Im fine with Butler ......trade AB , Crowder , KO , .......

don't give up Fultz ......a guy with 10 plus years to contribute .


LEbron ...still has 2-3 good years and then tricks up his sleave ,  Lebron won't retire quiet

We should draft high, and be ready to move into the power postion in the east soon as Lebrons armor shows a significant crack

[chilidawg]

The only way I'd do that is if we traded something like number 1 and Bradley to Philly for Simmons and number 3, which I still think is a slam dunk deal for both sides. Then I'd trade number three, the 2019 Clippers pick, and Rozier to Chicago for Butler and Portis. That'd leave you with the following lineup:

PG: IT, Smart
SG: Butler, (perhaps Green on the minimum contract)
SF: Crowder, Brown (though hopefully Brown would take the starting spot by the end of the year)
PF: Simmons, Portis
C: Horford, Zizic

I love the look of that team, and the small-ball lineup capabilities are ridiculous.

Otherwise, I'm completely fine taking Fultz and then trying to sign either Griffin or Hayward in free agency.

Make it happen JPotter!  Somebody forward this to Danny.

Personally I'm much higher on Simmons than Fultz, but hopefully Philly isn't.

[GreenEnvy]

I mean, do we even really want Butler for BK18?  The top 4 in that draft are spectacular.  Butler instead of Bradley....I mean is he really that much of an upgrade?  Wouldn't you rather have one of Porter Jr., Bamba (7'9.5" wingspan, 9'5" standing reach), Doncic or Ayton + Bradley than Butler? 

Crowder and Butler would be pretty great together, but that isn't likely to ever beat Cleveland, let alone GSW.  Fultz / Doncic / Brown / Zizic in 5 years has a chance to be really special, though.

There's no guarantee we get the top 4 pick though.

I think it depends what else Ainge does with free agency. If he can go out and pull in Hayward/Griffin, you may see him make more moves. If he can move something like Bradley and some combo of BOS 18/LAC 19/MEM 19 for an impact/all-star-potential big, then you may see him push all-in with Crowder, BKN 18, Yabu, fillers for Butler.

That's potentially:
IT/Fultz
Butler/Smart
Hayward/Brown
Horford/sign vet min
Trade for impact big/Zizic

It's a very young bench but CBS knows how to mix and match who sits when. So as long as the starters are starting and finishing games, CBS can make it work.

Butler isn't on an outrageous contract for another two years. IT isn't for another year. So it would only be two full max contracts in Hayward and Horford. The big we trade for (say someone like Vucevic who is on a good contract) won't be a max either.

That would give us next season to see if we can topple LeBron and matchup with GSW before deciding on Isaiah and then another season before dealing with Butler (and Vucevic).

I think Ainge has done a fantastic job stockpiling assets. Maybe he needs to start packaging them.

[GreenEnvy]

The only way I'd do that is if we traded something like number 1 and Bradley to Philly for Simmons and number 3, which I still think is a slam dunk deal for both sides. Then I'd trade number three, the 2019 Clippers pick, and Rozier to Chicago for Butler and Portis. That'd leave you with the following lineup:

PG: IT, Smart
SG: Butler, (perhaps Green on the minimum contract)
SF: Crowder, Brown (though hopefully Brown would take the starting spot by the end of the year)
PF: Simmons, Portis
C: Horford, Zizic

I love the look of that team, and the small-ball lineup capabilities are ridiculous.

Otherwise, I'm completely fine taking Fultz and then trying to sign either Griffin or Hayward in free agency.

Make it happen JPotter!  Somebody forward this to Danny.

Personally I'm much higher on Simmons than Fultz, but hopefully Philly isn't.

Simmons made one three in college. He took 3 shots in 33 games.

The league has changed. The best teams bomb threes from just about every position. I just don't see how a ball-dominant forward who can't shoot is going to be spectacular in today's NBA. If this was the '90's, maybe.

Fultz is built for the modern NBA.

[jpotter33]

TP for the proposal which is very Boston lopsided. No way Philly entertains that deal.

Simmons (#1) = Fultz (#1) and even this is arguable that Simmons has more value.

Avery Bradley ≠ #3 pick

Not true at all. Fultz is the highest regarded guard prospect in the draft since Rose in 2008, or at the very least since Wall in 2010. He's clearly a step above the next guard in the draft (Ball) and both of them are at least a step above the next tier of players.

Simmons on the other hand had a season-ending foot injury with multiple setbacks that kept him off the floor in all of his rookie season, which drops his value. Furthermore, Philly still has a glut of big men with no real rotational guards, let alone starting guards, because no matter the spin Brown gives, Simmons is clearly a 4 and not a guard. He's a point forward that will clearly need to be a 4 defensively, and he's not compatible with Saric in the starting lineup. His shooting also represents a significant hole in his game, other than defense - though Fultz shares that weakness right now like most rookies do, where Fultz has no real significant holes in his game like that.

Thus, a lineup of Fultz, AB, Covington, Saric, and Embiid is much better fitting and has a much higher overall ceiling than a mismatched lineup of something like Fox, Covington, Simmons, Saric, and Embiid. Adding to this, the Colangelos have long bemoaned having too many young players on their squads, which AB would really help with rather than simply adding another rookie to the starting lineup.

That's why I think it's a fair deal. Sure, maybe they can insist we add something small like Yabu or something, and it probably would be a bit more attractive to them if they traded the 3 to Sacramento for 5 and 10 and added the 5 instead of the 3, which still leaves them with the tenth pick. Further, this also would require AB agreeing to extend in Philly, which I'll give you.

But I think it's a pretty good deal for both sides for those main reasons. We might even be on the worse side of the deal due to how elite Fultz can be in the modern NBA, but Simmons would be a good fit at the 4 for us both now and in the future.

[CelticsElite]

Simmons is the most overrated player on this board lol

[Big333223]

Simmons is the most overrated player on this board lol

What are you talking about? The kid hasn't had a bad game his whole NBA career!

[fubar089]

Butler really should be a Celtic. He has the perfect makeup for this team. Gritty player with some skill. Not saying I'd trade this years #1 for him, because I obviously wouldn't but if we could find another way to bring him in I'd be very pleased.

[Roy H.]

He should have been a Celtic, maybe.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers admitted the team had honed in on three players in the first round: Johnson, Boston College's Reggie Jackson and Marquette's Jimmy Butler. When Jackson got hooked by the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 24, the Celtics elected to move down, but were pleased to see Johnson available at that point.

"I like it," Rivers said. "Big 10 Player of the Year, athletic, can shoot -- I like it a lot. We didn't think he'd be there and he was.