The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers’ Summer of Blunders

By Stuart London

Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, Al Horford | Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, Al Horford | Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Kim Klement – Pool/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kim Klement – Pool/Getty Images) /

Bye-Bye Butler

Thinking at the time: Jimmy Butler had been the Sixers best player in the playoffs, was their ‘closer’ in fourth quarters, had gotten close with franchise player Joel Embiid  and was someone  who contributed on both sides of the court.

However, he and Brett Brown did not get along, he had a reputation for, well, being Jimmy Butler, and the front office was looking to ink Ben Simmons to a long-term deal. The way Butler took over in the playoffs while Simmons was shoved literally to the corner, might have made that harder if Butler stayed.

Blunder: The Sixers ended up trading Butler to the Miami Heat for Josh Richardson, basically the same type of player as Butler, except not as good (or cantankerous). So they gave up two starters in a trade for Butler that turned into a one-year rental.

Importantly, they also took away a player Embiid was comfortable with (a trend). They also never found a player to replace Butler as ‘the closer’, to disastrous consequences in the playoffs.