Philadelphia 76ers avoided disaster with Jimmy Butler deal

Keeping Jimmy Butler in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform may have put the franchise in harm’s way for years to come

The Philadelphia 76ers made a move that may not sit well with fans of the franchise. After trading for Jimmy Butler midway through last season, the franchise decided to ship the four-time All-Star to the Miami Heat. It may look like yet another setback for Philly, but general manager Elton Brand avoided what had the makings of a catastrophic error.

Jimmy Butler had a significant impact during his 55 games with the 76ers. He averaged 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and four assists per game. He held his own on the defensive end as well, finishing fifth in the league in steals with 1.9 per game.

Butler’s crunch-time scoring, and ability to take Ben Simmons under his wing were valuable. Yes, having him play a significant role in the team’s immediate future would have been beneficial. But what would that have cost the team long term?

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Jimmy Butler is 29 years old with eight years of NBA experience taking a toll on his body. Signing him to a long-term, four-year deal would have had the potential to cripple the future of the 76ers. He’s only played in 70 or more games twice in his career.

There’s no reason to expect that he would have all of a sudden become a Cal Ripken-esque iron man in his thirties. The Heat are reportedly paying Butler $142 million over four years. At that price tag, the Sixers would need someone that they can rely on consistently.

Perhaps that’s why the 76ers decided to re-sign Tobias Harris to a five-year, $180 million deal instead. He’s suited up for all 82 games in two of that last three NBA seasons. At 26-years old, he has the ability to produce at a high level for the duration of that contract.

There’s also the notion that Jimmy Butler has been known to cause teams to implode. First, it was with the Bulls, and then he was the center of the collapse with the Timberwolves. I’m not saying that either scenario was his fault. Both teams weren’t in a position to win, and he made that very clear to the people that he felt needed to hear it.

You could argue that Butler didn’t have the same mentality in Philadelphia, but perhaps he knew what was on the line. If he caused friction on three consecutive NBA rosters, the chances of him signing a long-term deal in free agency this summer would be slim.

Butler could have very well been biting his tongue on nights when Ben Simmons refused to shoot the ball, or games when JJ Reddick missed more shots than Joel Embiid attempted. Last season, Butler was reportedly involved in a “heated debate” with head coach Brett Brown.

Does that heated debate escalate to something more severe if Butler knows that he has three years left on his contract? The 76ers couldn’t risk finding out the hard way if Jimmy Butler was truly ready to take a back seat to the progression of the squad’s younger stars.

Just because Philadelphia may have avoided disaster, it doesn’t mean that this move comes without setbacks. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons no longer have an automatic scorer that they can depend on to win games. They are both going to have to make significant improvements if this team is going to be a serious contender.

The addition of veteran Al Horford will be extremely helpful to Embiid’s progress. It takes some of the load off his shoulders to provide scoring in the paint. Horford’s four-year deal at age 31 seems like a long time, but the 76ers are guaranteed to get the style of veteran leadership that would have been up for debate with Jimmy Butler. Still, can Horford compete at a high level without injury? He missed seven of 14 games last December with knee soreness, an issue that was cause for concern throughout the season.

The 76ers added Josh Richardson via the trade with Miami. He’s a talented shooting guard who is on the verge of a breakout season. His most glaring problem in the starting rotation will be the fact that he’s a volume scorer. He averaged just 16.6 points per game last season on an average of 14 shots per game. He also doesn’t replace the clutch shooting that the 76ers had with Jimmy Butler.

With JJ Reddick reportedly heading to New Orleans, Philly’s doesn’t have as many guys who can spread the defense with the game on the line.

As the 76ers are dealing with yet another transitional period, the Nets just added Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Celtics replaced Irving with All-Star Kemba Walker and added big man Enes Kanter. Khris Middleton decided to stay with MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. The 76ers were a contender for a title last season.

With those three teams making significant improvements, Jimmy Butler’s return may have helped Philadelphia stay in the fight. But with his age and history of turmoil, keeping Butler could have very well cost the 76ers more than they could have ever imagined.