While there have been plenty of what-ifs throughout NBA history, former Celtics president Danny Ainge recently revealed a trade that would’ve significantly changed the landscape of the NBA. Ainge, talking on The Players Tribune’s Knuckleheads, discussed a potential Bulls deal that would’ve involved Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
“Some of the best trades I ever made were the ones I wasn’t able to make,” Ainge said. “I was trying to get Jimmy Butler from Chicago when I was in Boston. But they wanted a lot. So we didn’t do it because it ended up, it would’ve been Jaylen and Jayson. Both those draft picks that we got Jaylen and Jayson with.”
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Of course, Butler ended up on the Heat instead and becoming a Celtics rival as they’ve faced off in the East Finals in three of the past four seasons. Tatum and Brown have been a successful duo, leading the C’s to consistent conference finals appearances, though the goal is to get over the championship hump.
The non-trade worked out perfectly for the Celtics as they’ve been able to build a consistent contender. As Ainge said, it was one of those deals where it was better for the C’s by turning down the Bulls. Ainge already did the difficult work stockpiling premier draft assets in the deal with the Nets where Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce went to Brooklyn.
It’s an interesting what-if, though, for the rest of the league. Brown was a surprising pick at No. 3 in the 2016 draft, and there’s no guarantee he would’ve developed into the All-NBA player he is today with a different organization. In 2017, the Celtics infamously traded down from first to third, only to end up getting their guy anyway in Tatum.
So, it all worked out for the Celtics. On the flip side, Butler was dealt from the Bulls to the Timberwolves where there were some dramatic days before he was traded to the 76ers. Eventually, Butler signed with the Heat in free agency, which has been a fruitful relationship in Miami.
