Butler is up to snuff with Wizards

Caron Butler sniffed and snuffled as he walked across the visitors’ locker room at Staples Center.

“These cross-country flights kill me,” he said, smiling. “I’m all stuffed up now.”

Plane flights aside, the East Coast has been kind to Butler since he was traded with Chucky Atkins from the Lakers to the Washington Wizards for Kwame Brown and Laron Profit in August 2005.

Butler, 26, is averaging career highs of 19 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 47.1% shooting for the Wizards.

He was developing into a solid player with the Lakers, but they were unwilling to sign him to a long-term contract because he played the same position as Kobe Bryant. (A few months after the trade, the Wizards signed Butler to a five-year contract extension worth a reported $46 million.)

“We knew that he was going to be a real good player in this league,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said.

“He was a streaky ballplayer, but I liked him a lot and tried in every possible way to avoid having to trade him in the situation that brought us Kwame Brown.”

The Lakers, desperate for a big man and intrigued by Brown’s potential, took a gamble by acquiring him. Brown, 24, is averaging 8.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and a career-best 1.1 blocked shots a game this season.

Jackson said the Lakers felt the trade gave them support.

“Obviously, we didn’t anticipate Chris Mihm was going to be hurt, but it gave us the support we needed at that major role of a center,” Jackson said. “That’s something that’s almost irreplaceable in this game, big people that can play.”

As Brown tries to become a consistent defensive presence for the Lakers, Butler has found a successful niche in the Wizards’ offense-oriented scheme. He had 27 points and five assists Sunday in the Wizards’ 147-141 overtime victory.

“In the back of your mind, you’ll always be thinking, ‘What if?’ ” Butler said. “In the same note, you’ve got to deal with ‘what is.’ ”

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Jackson punted when asked about his thoughts on the Saturday night brawl that broke out between the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.

“I have not seen it,” Jackson said. “NBATV, they have never shown it. What is this, a fluff piece that they’ve got going on there?”

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com