Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler will haunt Philadelphia 76ers

What could’ve been and what should’ve been for the Philadelphia 76ers.

In my lifetime of being a basketball fan, I’ve seen some questionable moves made by many a team in the NBA. Some that still make me scratch my head are Dallas moving Steve Nash during Dirk Nowitzki’s prime years, Minnesota gift wrapping Kevin Garnett to Boston for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Memphis giving Kobe two more titles by giving Pau Gasol to L.A., Oklahoma City self-sabotaging themselves by trading James Harden a year after going to the NBA Finals in 2012, Chicago deciding to not give the Jordan-led Bulls a chance at the four-peat, and Portland drafting Greg Oden instead of Kevin Durant in 2007.

The Philadelphia 76ers have had their share as well. Larry Hughes in 1998 while Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki were on the board. Drafting Evan Turner instead of DeMarcus Cousins in 2010. Blowing up the 2012 team that took the Celtics to seven games, bringing in Andrew Bynum with degenerative knees. Sam Hinke and the world-renowned “Process” that was ultimately a tanking conspiracy designed to bait the basketball gods into giving the Sixers high quality draft picks. It worked. Kind of…

The aforementioned process brings us to 2017. Joel Embiid is the second coming of Hakeem the Dream, Ben Simmons is being anointed as LeBron 2.0. All this team needed was another young star that can take them over the top. Enter Markelle Fultz, the consensus No. 1 pick since the start of the college season. One look at his highlights and one could understand the hype: 6-foot-4 power guard, can score at every level with proficiency, finish with either hand at the rim, a willing and more than capable defender, averaged 23.2 points per game in his lone season at Washington, shooting 50 percent from the field, and 41 percent from the arc. What’s there to ponder? Fultz is the man.

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Yet, rumblings throughout the draft considered another kid coming out Duke. His numbers weren’t gaudy: 16.8 points per game, 50 percent shooting from the field, 34 percent from 3, but many scouts considered him to have the most upside of any in the draft class.

His name: Jayson Tatum.

We all know the story from here: Celtics decide to trade the No. 1 pick, Sixers jump at it, believing Fultz is can’t miss. Sixers take Fultz at No. 1 and begin one of the more mysterious injury journeys in recent memory, with Fultz’s shot looking more like a NBA 2K21 glitch than what he showcased in college. Celtics take Tatum with the No. 3 pick and subsequently, we’ve been watching the ascension of a new star in the East, and in the league.

What could’ve been…

Though the Celtics are down 3-2 to a Miami Heat team that no one saw even making the conference finals, Tatum has been every bit as advertised upon leaving Duke. But his team has run up against Miami which have been galvanized by the revelations of Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and a guy who now has a reputation for turning teams around with his leadership.

A guy who perfectly embodied the soul of Philadelphia: grit, determination, fearlessness, and a no-nonsense attitude.

A guy who the Sixers allowed to walk into the sunset. Pat Riley smiling, holding a cigar, waiting to usher in the next leader of Heat Nation.

His name: Jimmy Butler.

What should’ve been.

Now let me be fair: no one could’ve predicted these things happening. No one could’ve seen the rare shoulder condition happening to Fultz the same way that no one saw a 17-year-old from Lower Merion becoming this generation’s Michael Jordan. Unless you are Jerry West.

No one could’ve predicted Miami’s turnaround even with the Jimmy Butler addition. But Butler’s track record speaks for itself.

Last time Chicago was in the playoffs? 2014. Who was on the team?

Jimmy Butler.

Last time Minnesota was in the playoffs? 2017. Who was on the team?

Jimmy Butler.

Last time the Sixers came close to reaching the conference finals? 2019. Who led the charge?

Jimmy Butler.

Who has their team one win away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 2014?

Sir Jimmy Buckets.

We can’t argue with the facts. Butler gets it done, says what he needs to say, and plays every game like it’s his last.

Exactly what the Sixers need in their culture. And the front office thought it wise to give Tobias Harris a five-year, $180 million contract.

Every Philadelphia sports fan can tell you a “what if” story. What if Ryan Howard doesn’t go cold during the Phillies’ golden years of 2009-11? Maybe the 2008 championship isn’t the only one?

What if Toronto didn’t get cold feet about sending Tracy McGrady to Philadelphia to team up with a then 24-year-old Allen Iverson? Do Allen and Tracy have rings to cement their iconic careers? And does Philadelphia end the championship drought?

What if Eric Lindros could’ve stayed healthy during his time with the Flyers? Maybe they come back and win in 1998?

We’ll never know.

But what I do know is Philadelphia has too many stories like this hovering around the collective memories of the sports faithful.

Watching Miami and Boston battle it out for an NBA Finals berth with two players that were right in the hands of the Sixers is no doubt a frustrating feeling. Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler are certified stars.

Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler should be Philadelphia 76ers.

Not figments of our imagination.

Yet, once again, we gaze at the screen and the only thought that comes to mind is…

What could’ve been…. what should’ve been…