NBA draft day in 2017 was full of intrigue and hope, per usual for the world’s most active sport’s league. The Dallas Mavericks selected Dennis Smith Jr. in the lottery that evening. The Bulls trading Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves being the biggest pop of the night, seeing the hard-nosed all-star reunite with a like-minded coach in Tom Thibodeau was a beautiful moment.
Butler’s no-nonsense approach to the game would take young star Karl-Anthony Towns and potential all-star wing Andrew Wiggins to new heights. At least, that’s how it was proposed at the moment. Another sad case of the potential being greater than the outcome.