The offseason has officially started for most teams in the league. After a tough first-round exit in the NBA Playoffs, some are faced with a challenge. They can either go the Kobe Bryant route and give an aging player a proper contract or let them walk to explore their options. Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat front office are trying to solve him but it looks like the Joel Embiid-led Philadelphia 76ers are looking to get the star.
Jimmy Butler is looking to extend his current contract with the Heat. A glaring problem to do this is the fact that he is aging. He is currently 35 years old and has shown shades of being incapable of staying on the court. So, what happens next if this hesitance still exists? Well, it looks like the 76ers might just acquire the Heat star after, via Marc Stein.
“If the Heat balks at extending Butler, rival teams believe the Philadelphia 76ers could attempt to swing a trade for the veteran wing. The Sixers project to have more than $60 million in cap space this summer. Daryl Morey will be seeking to fill out the roster around Joel Embiid and re-sign Tyrese Maxey,” the long-time NBA reporter wrote.
This is not the first time that Jimmy Butler will join the 76ers. Back in the 2018-9 season, the front office made a heavy roster spot decision which played through that he started with. However, they made the tough choice of choosing Tobias Harris over Jimmy Butler. Since then, the Heat star has not let this go.
He is currently on a three-year deal that clocks in at $146 million a year. This will see him deliver a cap hit of nearly $49 million as well. This hinders the Heat's flexibility when it comes to their aim of building a contending squad for years to come. Will the 76ers be confident in giving Jimmy Butler a shot before he hits NBA Free Agency?
What are the Heat getting?
The short answer is leadership and all the other tangibles that he has to offer such that he leads his team into victory. This is not the only thing that the Heat star has to offer. His stroke from all three levels of scoring allows him to knock the shot down 49.9% of the time to get 20.8 points on a nightly basis. His offensive arsenal also showed through his playmaking and finding the right open man. This skill has netted him a little over five assists per contest.
Butler's on-ball defense could also be of very good use in the 76ers system. He has averaged 1.3 steals this season.
There will be a lot of these rumors after the end of the NBA Playoffs. Hopefully, he made the right decision.
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