The Philadelphia 76ers may be in urgent need of reinforcements given their stale start, but they are pretty fsr from being the main character on the trade market. That title belongs to Jimmy Butler, the unbending star who has forced a trade out of Miami and is currently cherry-picking his next destination.
Butler, whom the 76ers initially had on their radar with the blessing of Joel Embiid during the offseason and long before his trade request, has not really had much traction on the market. Offers received by the Heat have reportedly been underwhelming, and the six-time All-Star’s camp being a very pick bunch has not helped.
This is, of course, not the first time this has happened. Butler also did the same when he was in Minnesota, where he was ultimately shipped to Philadelphia in the middle of the 2018-19 season. Naturally, the 76ers have a clear idea on how this saga would conclude.
76ers know all too well how Jimmy Butler trade in contract year ends
When Butler came to play for the 76ers after forcing his way out of the Timberwolves, the team’s prospects greatly improved. Playing next to Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris, he managed to help lead the team to a Conference Semifinals berth, where they nearly went further into the playoffs had it not been for a miracle Game 7 shot from Kawhi Leonard.
Up to this day, that has been the closest the 76ers have been to an NBA Finals appearance, so clearly, Butler’s impact as a ceiling-raiser cannot be understated. He even led the Heat to two Finals appearances in 2020 and 2023, demonstrating his undeniable brilliance as a playoff performer.
Having said that, there is little reason to believe that the same narrative would not get rewinded. The team that somehow manages to land him this season would certainly gain a bona fide playoff standout and a two-way force, but he is most likely going to decline his player option and jump ship to wherever he wants. And that team that strikes a deal for him has a high probability of not being his landing spot next season and beyond.
Butler clearly believes he is still operating at peak capacity, arming him with leverage, albeit a potentially contrived one, to fully control his own destiny, even if the market fails him. The Philadelphia 76ers know that all too well, and at this rate, history will be re-writing itself.