The Philadelphia 76ers may have an opportunity on their hands. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported former Sixers star Jimmy Butler has requested a trade from the Miami Heat.
Butler’s press conference beforehand revealed as much before Charania confirmed it.
“I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be, we’ll find out here pretty soon,” Butler told reporters. “I’m happy here off the court, but I want to be back to somewhat dominant. I want to hoop, and I want to help this team win, and right now, I’m not doing it.”
When asked if said joy could happen in Miami, Butler responded, “Probably not.”
Butler experienced joy with the Sixers and has expressed his respect for Joel Embiid in the past. However, the Sixers should avoid a reunion.
Why the Sixers should stay away from Butler
Butler has been floated as a trade target where the Sixers would send Paul George back to Miami for him. However, there’s too much uncertainty surrounding him.
First, the Sixers are one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA. Butler may shoot 36.7% from three, but he only averages 1.4 attempts a game. George is more of a shooter than he is, so switching him for Butler could clog up the offense, which the Sixers can’t afford.
Butler has also shown multiple times how quickly he can become disgruntled with an organization. He did the same thing with the Minnesota Timberwolves before Philadelphia traded for him.
If that’s enough reason to reject a reunion with Butler, there’s also a lot of uncertainty about whether Butler would stay in Philadelphia. He’s got a player option for next season, which makes him a flight risk.
Even if his tenure was brief, the Sixers may have had their fair share of success with Butler, but a potential trade involves too much risk.
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