Robb: Jimmy Butler Believed Celtics Would Draft Him In 2011
BOSTON (CBS) – The Boston Celtics' brass may their eyes on landing a star like Jimmy Butler this summer, but the Chicago Bulls' shooting guard said earlier this week that he's surprised his career did not begin in Boston.
In an interview on The Bill Simmons podcast, Butler noted that he believed the Celtics would take him in the 2011 NBA Draft with their pick in the last first round.
"What's crazy is I thought I was going to end up with y'all [the Celtics]. Doc [Rivers] being from Marquette [in college], I was — I'm ready. But I'm not mad. I went 30th to Chicago, and it's a good place for me right now."
The Celtics ended up trading their 2011 draft pick (No. 25 Marshon Brooks) to the New Jersey Nets for the No. 27 selection that ended up as Purdue power forward JaJuan Johnson. The lanky big man was out of the league after a couple seasons, making the decision to pass on Butler even tougher for Boston fans to follow. The shooting guard would have been a terrific weapon to have behind Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in the final days of the Big Three era.
Instead, Butler's game has blossomed in Chicago over the past few seasons, where he believes that Boston is one of the favorite spots he likes to play.
"I always play well in TD Garden," Butler said in the podcast. "And then I like L.A. I've got a lot of friends out here, so I like to play in front of them because I'm always stuck in the harsh winters of Chicago."
It remains to be seen whether Danny Ainge will be able to pool his assets and try to make a blockbuster deal with Chicago for the swingman. Since Butler is under contract for at least three more years with the Bulls, he declined to comment on whether his preference would be to stick with a franchise that may elect to rebuild this offseason. In fact, he finds it funny that fans plead with him to stay in Chicago when he doesn't have a say on the matter.
"I literally, I don't control that," Butler said. "It's not like I'm a free agent. I can't do anything about that. And so people get mad: 'Oh, we hate you. You want to leave.' I never once said that. There's absolutely nothing that I can do. Literally the only way is if I got traded."
No matter what Butler's fate is this offseason, it's fair to say that 2011 first round draft pick is one the Celtics would like back five years later.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.