NBA: 5 pros and cons from the Jimmy Butler trade
By Kyle Crabbe
Con 3 – Affording Butler will cost Philadelphia any opportunity at signing any big name free-agents
The Philadelphia 76ers would have been a major player in the 2019 NBA Free Agency but the trade for Butler puts that in great jeopardy. The beginning of the discord between the Minnesota Timberwolves’ brass and Jimmy Butler seemed to have come after Butler decided to turn down Minnesota’s offer of a four-Year max extension worth around $110 million.
In that choice, Butler and his personal team had chosen to bet on Butler’s 2018-19 on-court performance to secure a greater contract for Butler’s basketball future. By Butler turning down the amount the Wolves were offering we can anticipate Butler will want from Philadelphia or another potential team a max contract extension that will net him greater than 30 million per season.
If the Sixers are to re-sign Butler to a max contract extension this off-season that would remove Philadelphia’s opportunity to also possible sign another one of the major 2019 free agents like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, or Kyrie Irving.