Philadelphia 76ers roundtable: Thoughts on the Jimmy Butler trade

Joe DiProsperos

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly hesitant about the Sixers pursuing one Jimmy Butler at any point during this process.

But I can honestly say that my attitude towards Jimmy G. Buckets (the “G” stands for “Gets”, by the way) possibly becoming a Sixer began to shift in recent days. And once I got the news Saturday morning that there was a deal in place for him, I was elated yet also cautiously optimistic.

From just an overall trade standpoint, Elton Brand pulled off a fabulous deal. Not only did he snag Butler without giving up any first-round picks, but he also did it without giving up young guys like Markelle Fultz, Landry Shamet or Zhaire Smith. This was, for all intents and purposes, quite the steal.

From a basketball standpoint, it’s a very solid fit. Butler is an absolute menace on defense, provides late-game playmaking ability the Sixers have been lacking especially of late, and he can create his own shot, which is something this team will always welcome with open arms. In Butler, the Sixers have found a third star. A big three of Butler, Joel Embiid, and Ben Simmons makes a pretty strong argument for being the best trio of talent in the Eastern Conference.

It’s going to be interesting to see how those three mesh not only on the court, but most importantly off it. Butler’s reputation as being an ultra-competitive, sometimes difficult person to deal with are well-documented and well-known, and it was never more apparent than during his tenure in Minnesota. It’s reasonable to wonder whether or not this could carry over into Philly.

But I’m of the belief that coming to Philly could be a breath of fresh air for Butler. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are not Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. They’re not going to allow themselves to get pushed around like Wiggins and Towns did. Them being of a similar competitive mindset to Butler should only help to ingratiate Butler with this team.

One other thing worth paying attention to now that Butler is a Sixer is the development of Markelle Fultz. It could mean one of two things for Fultz. One could argue that it takes the pressure off of Fultz to quickly become an All-Star-caliber co-star alongside Simmons and Embiid, and therefore he can take his time and work his way back to the player we thought he could be. On the flipside, it might force him to expedite his development even further so that he doesn’t end up becoming expendable in the future. But only time will tell.

Lastly, I want to send a HUGE thank you to RoCo and the Homie. As a fan, there’s nothing that pains you more than having to bid farewell to one or more of “your guys”. Watching Covington transform from an unheralded D-League pick-up to one of the best defensive players in the league and proclaiming for all who would listen that Dario finally came over was what the Process was all about.

I’ll always be rooting for them.