Philadelphia 76ers: Is Jimmy Butler re-signing a slam dunk?

Re-signing Jimmy Butler during the off-season could rely on what the Philadelphia 76ers accomplish or fail to during the playoffs

When the Philadelphia 76ers acquired Jimmy Butler just a few weeks into the 2018-19 NBA season, many expected him to be a long-term play as the team attempted to take the next step as a franchise.

With LeBron James no longer residing in the Eastern Conference, there was a clear opening. The Sixers clearly made the decision to go all-in on this season. That’s where the Butler play became a possibility.

However, despite being 31-16 since the trade, I’m not sure re-signing Jimmy Butler during the off-season, when he becomes a free agent, is that much of a slam dunk – from both sides of the equation.

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For Jimmy, an alpha player that likes to be in control when he plays, is probably the third option on the team at the moment, behind Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid who both have a higher usage percentage than Butler.

And with the addition of Tobias Harris at the NBA Trade Deadline, another player who will likely command big money on the open market this summer, it’s not a forgone conclusion that the team elects to re-sign both Butler and Harris.

Both will be extremely expensive, and the Sixers will likely be maxed out with the core of Embiid, Butler, Harris and Simmons. Big question is, would that be good enough to bring a championship to Philly?

While expecting the continued growth and protection of Simmons and Embiid, both Harris and Butler are likely at the peak of their career arcs. Neither of them will get significantly better, and will be paying for the players that they are now.

Harris, at only 26 years old, seems like a no-brainer. You pay the in-their-prime players and hope that he continues to play at the same level. As for Butler, it’s a much more loaded question. Jimmy will be 30 years old by the time the 2019-20 season starts

What it may all come down to is what this team looks like in the playoffs. It’d be hard to break up a team that perhaps makes it to the Eastern Conference Finals, or NBA Finals. If this team loses in the first or second round, though, then it becomes all the more fascinating.