Butler is framed as a high-upside but health-risk choice in round five. The host notes Butler's elite production when healthy, while acknowledging lingering concerns about durability and long-term wear. He’s presented as a potential ceiling-booster if rest days are managed well and health holds up through the season.

Butler serves as the prime historical pivot in Chicago’s post-Butler era, with Butler’s success in Miami underscoring the franchise’s missed window to contend. The piece uses Butler as a benchmark for what Chicago might chase by trading Dosunmu—contending value via draft equity and roster balance.

Butler is cast as a ceiling-raiser who could steer the second unit with scoring and leadership, bridging veteran presence with Kuminga/Jake-like upside. In the piece, Butler would bring a top-tier scoring punch and defensive intensity, stabilizing a lineup that blends youth with proven championship-level play.

Butler's name surfaces as a foil to Kuminga's ascent; the Warriors' exploration of Butler last season signals a tendency to favor proven veterans in the short term, complicating Kuminga's trajectory toward a defining role and a potential long-term contract.

Butler’s offseason pairing with Green signals a push for a more formidable pairing if he lands with Golden State. Having led Miami to Finals runs, he’d bring toughness and playoff pedigree, but fit and salary structure would shape whether this union is a plausible path to a deeper run in 2026.