Philadelphia 76ers roundtable: Thoughts on the Jimmy Butler trade

Harrison Grimm

I was very surprised to see this deal happen in the first place, let alone this quick.

I’ll be honest and say Jimmy Butler wasn’t my top pick for a “star” that they were hunting for. Don’t get me wrong, Butler is a massive talent and one of the best two way players in the league. He’s easily top 15 when healthy, and he’s a great player. I would’ve liked to see them wait a bit to see how other situations play out (example: Washington and Bradley Beal), but I do get why they did this trade.

This move is a definitely a short-term “win now” move, and it will definitely help the Sixers in that aspect. The alarm bells going off mainly relate to Jimmy Butler’s age and his new contract this summer. His body has a ton of mileage on it (shoutout Tom Thibodeau), and it will be something to watch as time goes on.

Butler will definitely command a hefty contract this summer and that’s something that is very concerning. The worry doesn’t revolve around if he will stay or not (as there’s already been reports that both sides want this to be long term), but it is simply based around money.

I will say the fact that they landed Jimmy Butler without giving up Markelle or a first-round pick is seriously great. The value for the Sixers in this deal is great, and Elton Brand deserves a ton of credit.

Dario and Cov will definitely be missed in many ways — the biggest being in terms of floor spacing. Jimmy Butler can shoot the ball, but it’s not his biggest strength. I can see the Sixers starting Butler at the small forward position, and see it working out nicely for the most part. Who will start around Butler, Simmons, and Embiid is a huge question mark, but I feel the Sixers will make it work one way or another.

I’m someone who still believes in Markelle and developing him, so I would like to still see him start. Obviously, people have opposite opinions in terms of that, so seeing someone like Landry Shamet or even Jonah Bolden starting isn’t completely out of the question. Trading for Kyle Korver looks to be a really good move in the short term, and adding depth is something the Sixers will look to do going forward.