Dan Z wrote:24istheLAW wrote:Dan Z wrote:
Butler just has his best statistical season and played in 76 games. How is he not aging well? Or are you making a guess that he won't age well going forward?
6"7" 220lbs is undersized for a SF? That's an inch taller than Jae Crowder and 15 pounds lighter. It's also an inch shorter than Gordon Hayward and 1 pound less.
Crowder is way undersized for PF himself... Which you see in Boston's rebounding numbers.
The SF who have the size to age well more often than not become small ball 4s. That option is off the table for Butler.
No, I can't see him aging well going forward at all. He's a great competitor and an easy player to root for, but between his style of play and the tread on his tires, seeing him as an All-Star at 32 is practically impossible imo.
Hayward doesn't look like he can transition to PF either. But he's a more natural shooter, and less reliant on defensive value, so it's easier to see him staying effective with diminished athleticism.
George is the only one of the three whose profile really suggests they can be as good at 32 as they are now. And if you're trading for what they are now, given the lay of the NBA... what the hell are you doing?
Why do players have to transition to a new position when they get older? Many players have stayed at one position their entire careers and did just fine. Stockton for example. He played PG until he retired at the age of 40. Now I'm not saying Butler is on Stockton's level (two completely different players), but I'm just pointing out that a player can be okay at one position as they age.
Are you against the Celtics signing Hayward?
Indifferent.
The first and biggest difference is that you don't have to trade for Hayward, he costs only cap space. Second, Butler with his opt out needs a new deal. So a Hayward contract is shorter and cheaper than the end of Butler's deal plus a new contract for Butler. Third, like I said, I'll take Hayward's aging curve over Butler. The flip side is that Hayward is not as good now as Butler. Especially on a team which features IT and could use Butler's toughness on the court.
Really, the only one whose acquisition I'd really endorse is Paul George. I think he's meaningfully more attractive than either.
