The Philadelphia 76ers have the means to improve on their current standing. While they could use their cap flexibility to sign someone like Paul George, another option is Jimmy Butler.
The Miami Heat star has experience with the Sixers and has a proven track record in the postseason. In a May 7 story, Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus proposed a four-way trade between the Sixers, Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Washington Wizards in which the following would happen.
Sixers get: Butler
Heat get: Donovan Mitchell, Kyle Kuzma, $13.4 million Jimmy Butler TPE, $2.5 million Nikola Jovic TPE, $2.3 million Tyler Herro TPE
Cavaliers get: Tyler Herro, No. 15 pick, Suns second-round pick (via Washington), 2028 Clippers first-round pick, 2030 Heat first-round pick, $6.4 million Donovan Mitchell TPE, $2.6 million Ty Jerome TPE
Wizards get: Paul Reed, Nikola Jovic, Ty Jerome, No. 16 pick, 2026 Sixers first-round pick, $23.5 million Kyle Kuzma TPE
Pincus explained why the Sixers would look into it should they miss out on George.
“However, George may not be available, and Butler has the better track record in terms of playoff production,” Pincus wrote. “Additionally, Embiid has expressed remorse that Butler didn’t stick with the team after the 2018-19 season.”
Butler will enter the second year of a three-year, $146 million contract. Since leaving the Sixers for the Heat, Butler has made three conference finals appearances and two NBA Finals appearances.
Rivals Believe Sixers Could Re-Acquire Jimmy Butler
The Jimmy Butler smoke appears to be real for the Sixers. NBA Insider Marc Stein reported that a Butler trade could be possible for them this coming offseason. Again, their interest would stem from if their pursuit for George fails.
“More than one rival team out there has likewise wondered whether Philadelphia, in the wake of its first-round exit, will mount a trade run at Butler to reacquire Joel Embiid’s close friend if the 76ers are unsuccessful in using their projected $50-plus million in salary cap space to acquire presumed top target Paul George,” Stein wrote in a May 5 story.
Getting George on the team would be easier than getting Butler on the team since they could sign the former in free agency. A potential Butler trade would depend on whether Miami would want what the Sixers have to offer.
David Aldridge Outlines Potential Jimmy Butler Trade
While explaining why the Sixers should try to reunite with Butler, The Athletic’s David Aldridge explained how a trade would come to fruition.
He started by revealing what the Sixers could offer for Butler and why it would be hard for there to be a two-team swap.
“The Sixers have multiple future first-round picks, along with their own 2024 selection, that they could put in a potential package for Butler. They don’t, though, have existing players under contract that would likely entice the Heat to the bargaining table,” Aldridge wrote in a May 3 story.
Aldridge then added how exactly they could agree to a trade.
“A third team would likely be needed to provide players who would fit an Adebayo/Herro timeline for Miami. With the new collective bargaining agreement rules clamping down on aggregation in trades for teams that have hit the second tax apron, multi-team deals aren’t as easy to make as they used to be. But they aren’t impossible.”
Given that Philadelphia and Miami have the same goals, a beneficial two-way trade could be somewhat difficult.
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