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Executives around the league are split on the effect the trade of Jimmy Butler has had for the Philadelphia Sixers, as bringing in a star of his caliber can bring forth many ramifications.
“I think that another high-level free agent is required… I think we need help to win a championship,” Brown told reporters the day after the short-handed Boston Celtics eliminated the Sixers from the 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals in five games.
While Brown (shortly after made the interim president upon Bryan Colangelo's firing) believed the team needed another All-Star-caliber player to add to this roster heading into the season, others don't think Butler was the right guy to add into the mix.
“He was the problem in both those situations,” a scout who recently gathered intelligence on Butler for his team said of his time with the Chicago Bulls and the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to Yaron Weitzman of Bleacher Report. “He's really hard to play with. He's very demanding, very hard on his teammates.”
Butler would also be coming into an environment that isn't necessarily the basketball nirvana some expect it to be.
“You can tell they have some major chemistry issues,” a rival executive who watched the Sixers recently said.
While the statement could be potentially blowing up something small, it's become apparent that big man Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons aren't the best of friends.
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To add to the list of concerns, Simmons hasn't been known to have a great work ethic, as it's been hinted by veterans like J.J. Redick, one of the select few consummate professionals in the league.
“There's a difference between clocking in for work and engaging in the process of getting better and working at your craft, and I think he's done an unbelievable job,” Redick told reporters in October.
While Redick likely meant this as a compliment, it came across as baring the truth about Simmons' personality, as he spent most of his summer in L.A. with rumored girlfriend Kendall Jenner. The lack of work ethic surely won't sit well with Butler, who reportedly lit Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns for their lack of investment.
Other executives believe the Sixers finally have their missing piece, a bona fide scorer that can also give them an edge defensively.
“They have their closer now,” one executive said Sunday.
Only time will tell if Butler is the Sixers' Superman or their Kryptonite. The four-time All-Star was announced on Tuesday, as he prepares to embark in a new adventure in pursuit of the Eastern Conference crown.
