It’s been well-documented that former Philadelphia 76ers star Jimmy Butler is fed up with his team, the Miami Heat. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that he is not backing off his trade request.
This is going to get ugly for Butler and the Heat. Among everything that’s gone wrong, The Athletic’s James Jackson revealed how two Sixers alumni indirectly factored into why Butler’s frustration hit a boiling point.
“But frustrations over other contenders being more aggressive — the defending Boston Celtics acquiring Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday, the Milwaukee Bucks traded for Damian Lillard — have left Butler disappointed with the Heat seemingly not being as ambitious the source said. Last year seemed to mark a crucial pivot point, as Miami brought in Thomas Bryant and Josh Richardson to bolster its roster, which left Butler feeling he had to ‘do the impossible again,” the source said,” Jackson reported.
Holiday played for the Sixers from 2009 to 2013. The Celtics’ acquisition majorly influenced their 2024 championship. Richardson played one season for the Sixers, 2020. The Sixers primarily acquired him in return for Butler in 2019.
Situations like these make the Sixers look good in some respect
Agree with Butler or not, these situations make the Sixers look better because, even if things haven’t gone their way, they still go for the big fish when they’ve gotten the opportunity.
When Butler became available in 2018, the Sixers got him. When Ben Simmons refused to play for them, the Sixers sold high on him and swapped for James Harden. When the Sixers had the cap space, they got Paul George, the best free agent on the market.
Maybe the Sixers will go down this season – George has received some unfavorable comparisons – but at least they went down swinging. The Heat may disband, but they’re in their situation because they went down looking.
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