After Meeting Kevin Durant, Signing Al Horford, Jimmy Butler Should Be Boston Celtics’ Next Priority

After a meeting with Kevin Durant and signing free agent Al Horford, the Boston Celtics should head back to the table and discuss a Jimmy Butler trade.

I was told that those pesky Boston Celtics couldn’t attract big name free agents.

On Saturday, the Boston Celtics worked double duty. In the midst of wooing Kevin Durant to join the prestigious franchise, the Celtics landed another dynamic frontcourt player, landing Al Horford on a four-year deal worth $113.5 million.

The move ended Horford’s nine-year tenure with Atlanta, just as it seemed like the Hawks were on the verge of retaining him and moving frontcourt running mate Paul Millsap.

The move was big for the Celtics, providing them with a player capable of convincing Durant to join him in the Celtic green. Horford is an excellent player. He can score inside and outside, he’s an underrated distributor and does it all on the defensive end.

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Before Millsap’s arrival in Atlanta, Horford was the best player on some good Atlanta teams and was the catalyst of Atlanta’s period of success and playoff appearances.

Now, he assumes the role of Boston’s best player and a good fit for the current players on the roster.  

Horford could create an elite defensive post combination alongside Amir Johnson, cover up some of the rebounding and rim protection woes that persist with Kelly Olynyk and bring the scoring prowess needed in the event he plays alongside Jordan Mickey. 

Now that Horford is in the fold, should the Celtics double, er, triple down with a trade for Bulls guard Jimmy Butler?

It starts with where both franchises are at the moment. The Celtics are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference with some of the best assets in the league.

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is a dynamic point guard,

, and

are two tough defenders,

is a prototype “3-and-D” player teams are looking for and we already dipped into their frontcourt talents.

And again, the Celtics have the assets. They have the right to swap with Brooklyn next season and hold an unprotected first-round pick from the Nets in 2018.

They have 2019 first-round picks from the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies and a few interesting prospects, headlined by 2016 first round pick Jaylen Brown. Oh, and they have their own draft picks, outside of the Brooklyn swap.

The Chicago Bulls are going … somewhere. I don’t exactly know where. Outside of seeing Rajon Rondo holding a Chicago Bulls case in an airport, Chicago’s free agency seems rather tepid. Joakim Noah is gone and Derrick Rose was traded to New York.

This team still has some interesting pieces around Butler, but I’m not entirely sure what the direction is.

That direction could be keeping all their cap space for 2017 where salary cap takes another jump and guys like Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, and Blake Griffin hit unrestricted free agency and the likes of Victor Oladipo and Nerlens Noel will reach restricted free agency.

Maybe Chicago can entice one or two of those guys to Chicago? I’m not so sure with Butler being the only intriguing player on the roster. 

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Never a fan of the rebuild, the Bulls moving Butler could help them quicken the process a bit. In a climate where

is making $52 million, Butler’s four years with close to $72 million remaining is a steal in this market.

Really, that’s probably why Butler wasn’t moved at the draft. Butler is an elite two-way player on a great contract as the cap is blossoming. The Bulls can and will make a team pay through the nose for acquiring his services

The Celtics should want Butler whether Durant commits or not. He’s one of the 20 best players in the league and takes the Celtics up another level along with Horford.

He also serves as another potential chip in a 2017 sell job for Durant if he goes back to Oklahoma City for one more season under a two-year max contract with a player option for the second season.

The Celtics made a big move and got better. However, there’s more work to be done to move from their current position to a realistic championship contender.

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Durant will make his decision, but even if the Celtics land Durant, the Celtics should move some assets in for Butler, giving Boston a new big three to build around for the foreseeable future.