What the Jimmy Butler trade says about Philadelphia 76ers management
The Philadelphia 76ers trade for Jimmy Butler shows that GM Elton Brand and Coach Brett Brown know how to execute a great trade that helps make the Sixers better now while maintaining future flexibility.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted the Philadelphia 76ers to trade for Jimmy Butler. Butler is a great player and helps improve their chances to make the NBA Finals this season, but I didn’t want the Sixers to give up on Markelle Fultz or the Miami Heat’s 2021 unprotected first-round pick to do it.
Unless Kevin Durant or Stephen Curry get injured there’s no possibility the Sixers beat the Golden State Warriors this season, so they need to keep unproven players in Fultz and Zhaire Smith, who still have the potential to grow into roles that might be able to replace the production of now former Sixers Dario Saric and Robert Covington someday.
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The Miami Heat 2021 unprotected first-round pick is an asset that many people would be wiling to trade, but one the Sixers have been reluctant to part with. Three years seems like a long time to wait to draft a rookie and there is no way to know if the Heat will be bad, but the Heat 2021 unprotected pick is the only asset that could increase in trade value every season without the Sixers taking a step back by trading one of their best players.
Butler is proof that an NBA superstar wants to change teams every season and the Heat 2021 unprotected pick could be the key to the Sixers improving their recently created super team in the future.
"“The Sixers initial offer was restrained, letting the Timberwolves choose between Dario Saric or Robert Covington, sources said. Within the past 10 to 14 days, the deal finally included both players — but no first-round pick. Philadelphia’s salary structure made the Sixers reluctant to pay Dario Saric $16 to $20 million annually on his rookie extension next year, allowing them to trade Robert Covington’s four years, $46 million to clear the way to make Butler the third major financial investment with Joel Embiid and the max contract that will eventually come for Ben Simmons.” — ESPN"
The above quote is from Adrian Wojnarowski’s article detailing how the Sixers trading Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless, and a 2022 second-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Butler and Justin Patton came to be.
It’s clear Sixers management didn’t let their team’s disappointing start and their uncompetitive losses to the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics allow themselves to be played in a way that many people believe former general manager Bryan Colangelo was played by the Celtics when he traded for Fultz.
What should the rotation look like with Butler?. dark. Next
I was a big fan of Covington and Saric, but wouldn’t hesitate to trade them for Butler. So along with having a decent chance at reaching the NBA Finals, Sixers’ fans should be happy to know that their team is being run by people that know what they’re doing.