The interesting thing is George was the 10th pick and Butler was the 30th pick.:noidea: I'd also say it's not just about getting a player better than Butler or George, it's also about getting a player that may be in that ballpark, plus years of cap room that could bring in other guys that help.
What you're saying completely flies in the face of "The Process ©" and what the 76ers were striving for, by the way.
The Sixers were an example I was going to use; they've had how many high picks and what's the best player they've gotten out of it? Joel Embiid might be amazing, he also may never stay on the court.
I get that Butler and george weren't high picks. But they are awesome players now. Those picks the Celtics have may turn out to be awesome players, but the odds are against it. The odds are neither of them will be as good as either George or Butler are right now. They have a good team right now, if they could turn those future assets into a great player now, they could be really good. (I guess a counter to this is the Warriors would still be the favorite, I do get that)
And all that said, I will definitely look stupid if those picks turn into Towns and Wall, or whatever.
Top 4 picks since 2012, if anyone is curious
2012: Anthony Davis, MKG, Bradley Beal, Dion Waiters
2013: Anthony Bennett, Oladipo, Otto Porter, Cody Zeller
2014: Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, Exum
2015: Towns, Russell, Okafor, Porzingis
2016: Simmons, Ingram, Brown, Bender