Philadelphia 76ers: Should the Sixers look to trade Jimmy Butler at the deadline?
As whispers continue to swirl around a potentially combustable situation, should the Philadelphia 76ers consider trading Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline?
When the Philadelphia 76ers traded for Jimmy Butler, there was only one real potential barrier to this current core being a success. And it’s something that many in the media have discussed extensively. That happens to be the egos of this team’s three best players.
I don’t think there’s any question that Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler are all alphas, meaning that they’re all good enough – physically and mentally – to be a great team leader on any team. Or, at the very least, they view themselves as much.
And while the team is turning in the results it needs on the stat sheets which is translating to moving up in the Eastern Conference standings – the team is actually 19-10 since the trade, one of the best records in the league during the span – you can’t help but tone out the inevitable feeling of this all blowing up in their faces.
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Joel Embiid being “frustrated” with his role in the offense only games after the team acquired Butler wasn’t a great first sign. While that has largely blown over – or at least that’s the assumption at this point – I’m not sure if we’ve seen the last of that, especially if this team continues to drop games against the likes of the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks (which they have in the last week).
Then you have Ben Simmons call the team “soft” after a recent loss. Shortly after, Butler disagreed with the criticism. This may be nitpicking, but the fact that two of the best players on the team are putting out to very different quotes is…interesting. Noteworthy, if nothing else.
But that’s not even mentioning the fact that Butler and Brett Brown reportedly had a bit of an issue with one another during a meeting. Both sides attempted to smooth that over, but I’m not sure that’s something that should be glossed over, especially considering what we know about Butler in the past.
This is a man that was reportedly an issue in the Chicago Bulls’ locker room, and then in Minnesota with the way he handled his exit just a few months ago. Even though there has to be some sort of middle ground during his last two stops, the reputation on Butler isn’t great when it comes to meshing will all different types of players in the NBA.
Not to say that he is or isn’t getting along with Simmons and Embiid, or anyone else in the Sixers locker room, but at this point would anyone really be surprised if there’s a deeper issue already beginning to develop?
Which leaves us all to one question, should the Sixers even consider trading Butler as the NBA Trade Deadline draws near?
It wouldn’t be a popular decision to make, especially considering that the team had to trade away Dario Saric and Robert Covington, two valuable rotation pieces, to land him a few months ago. However, the fact that Butler is an unrestricted free agent after the season, it’s something the Sixers have to be sold on.
Philly either needs to know with 100 percent certainty that Butler is going to re-sign and that all this will smooth out, or that he may not re-sign, but there’s a real chance the Sixers make it to the NBA Finals so it’ll be all worth it even as a one-year rental.
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No matter how it’s sliced up, it’s not an easy decision to make. But it’s certainly one that needs to be discussed in the coming weeks. So, should the Philadelphia 76ers trade Jimmy Butler?