With Jimmy Butler’s time with the Miami Heat likely ending, the Philadelphia 76ers have an opportunity to facilitate a reunion that could get them to the next level.
It’s not like they haven’t had interest in recent months. Before signing Paul George to a max contract, the Sixers tried to re-acquire Butler during the 2024 offseason.
It’s a little more complicated now, but the Sixers can get Butler back. A trade would require parting ways with George.
In some ways, it would make sense because the Heat don’t want to rebuild, and George is around the same age and a similar level of player as Butler.
However, to make a trade work, they must also make things work financially. Butler for George does not work straight up, so FanSided proposed the following three-way trade involving the Detroit Pistons and a Sixers alum to get Butler back in Philadelphia.
Sixers receive: Butler
Heat receive: George
Pistons receive: Josh Richardson
Butler’s value might be the lowest it’s been in a while
When the Sixers first acquired Butler in 2018, they only had to trade Robert Covington and Dario Saric with no first-round picks. Butler had been making himself a nuisance with the Minnesota Timberwolves, which destroyed his trade value.
Now, Butler is being that same nuisance again. He also has a player option for next season, which hurts Miami’s leverage in a trade.
That makes his value lower than usual, but it also serves as two red flags with acquiring Butler. He tends to create drama with the teams he plays for and is a flight risk.
This season hasn’t gone the way the Sixers would have liked, but they haven’t reached that point of desperation to reunite with a star who jumped ship the last time he spent a partial season with the team.
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