Jimmy Butler has become the hottest talking point in the newsstands in the last few days. The former Philadelphia 76ers star has now stirred up quite the drama in Miami, publicly demanding a trade in the middle of another middling season. And not to be subverted, the Heat responded in typical old-school, “Heat Culture” fashion, slapping him with a seven-game suspension to add even more fuel to the fire.
With the six-time All-Star’s camp expressly declaring that Butler would be open to playing anywhere but Miami, that puts nearly every team in the mix for a trade, at least hypothetically. One thing’s for sure, though — Butler will have suitors, especially given his reputation as perennially one of the best playoff performers in the league.
The 76ers have been quite mum on this front, but there is some link connecting them to the star forward. Other than being his former team, Butler has been actively sought by Philly dating back to the last offseason, with Joel Embiid actively endorsing him to the front office before they eventually settled with Paul George.
Grading a three-team trade sending JImmy Butler back to the 76ers
Creating a valid trade framework that has Butler reuniting with Embiid in Philadelphia is challenging, but not entirely impossible. The 76ers would simply have to throw George into the deal, though that would also require a third team to absorb one of Miami’s players to make the money work. Oh, and the Heat would also have to be enamored with the idea of receiving George in return.
Anyway, here’s what one of our colleagues drew up.
Obviously, this one is pretty bare and visceral, though it paints a picture of what it would take for the 76ers to net Butler. There are a lot of factors at playe here, most notably convincing the Heat to take on George’s max contract in view of his drastic decline this season.
Another would be finding a third team that would be amenabel to taking back salary. Naturally, the Heat can just prompt the 76ers to do the incentivizing atop the draft picks they would have to attach to George’s contract to make him a palatable get for the win-now Heat.
But in all reality, the Jimmy Butler reunion seems like a pipe dream for now for the Philadelphia 76ers. It is simply tough to envision the Heat absorbing Paul George’s deal — which is really the only way they can get their hands on the six-time All-Star without resorting to the extremes and trading, say, Tyrese Maxey or Joel Embiid which would render a trade for Butler meaningless anyway.
Of course, this would grade out amazingly well for the 76ers, but in the spirit of impartiality, the clear verdict is one of derision, if not utter disgust.
Grade: D-