proposed that the Philadelphia 76ers acquire Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat this summer.
Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report proposed the following trade idea between the Sixers and Heat:
“Jammy Butler’s five-time All-NBA selection would require a significant reshaping of the franchise, and franchise leader and team president Pat Riley didn’t exactly seem committed to an extension for Butler,” Hughes said. So let’s give it a try. The Sixers are an intriguing trade partner since they can send out picks and take Butler into cap space. That is assuming the Heat are more interested in having cash on hand and things they can sell than a real player who could boost the competitiveness of the new core led by Bam Adebayo.
This offseason, Butler is eligible for an extension. Next season, he will earn $48.8 million.
Butler, one of the NBA’s best two-way players, has a $52.4 million player option for the 2025–2026 campaign.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, rival teams believe the Sixers could try to acquire Butler from the Heat this summer.
Butler played 55 games for the Sixers in 2018-19 before signing with the Heat in the summer of 2019 via a sign-and-trade deal. The forward is close friends with Philadelphia big man Joel Embiid.
“The Heat could still project to have over $100 million on the books in 2025-26 between Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson, so this hypothetical Butler deal doesn’t clear the decks to any great extent,” Hughes wrote. “But it would fundamentally change Miami’s identity, add flexibility and give it a shot to reorient itself around Adebayo and a second star acquired in a separate trade.
“This trade would put the Heat on path to improve without tearing the whole operation down, and it’d allow them to move off Butler before his value diminishes as he nears free agency. Better to move on from a player a year too soon than a year too late. Meanwhile, the Sixers add a huge name to re(pair) with Joel Embiid in a title chase.
