Celtics could sign old Jimmy Butler enemy?
Apr 19, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) during game two of the 2023 NBA Playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
With Grant Williams now out of the picture in Boston, the Celtics may be turning to a different player to serve as a foil to Jimmy Butler.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported this week that the Celtics, who are looking to bulk up at the wing, are set to work out veteran NBA forward TJ Warren in Boston this week. Lamar Stevens is another available forward that the Celtics will also be working out, Charania adds.
Warren, a former lottery pick, is the juicy name there given his history with Butler. When he was a member of the Indiana Pacers in 2020, Warren got into an extremely heated altercation with Butler. Butler then proceeded to absolutely eviscerate Warren in his postgame press conference.
The blood feud between the two has died down a bit recently, especially after Butler and the Heat swept Warren and the Pacers during the first round of the 2020 playoffs. But the two players still might not be going to dinner together any time soon.
A gifted midrange scorer as well as a shrewd cutter and defender, Warren would make for a decent signing on his own merits. But it certainly cannot hurt to add a player with Butler (whom the Celtics have faced in three of the last four posteasons) in mind either.
