The second post in a series of posts attempting to defend the 76er's front office choices that have led them to be the most disappointing team of 2020 and no real future to look for. My goal is not to say the 76ers are in a good position. They are in a terrible spot. But I think the major player decisions that led us to this spot were fine moves in the present, and sometimes things simply don't work out. We started last time with Tobias Harris, and we move on to the other high profile trade in 2018, Jimmy Butler.
This one I think is much easier to defend. Plain and simple, Jimmy Butler is a star. Probably not a superstar depending on your definition, but he's a threat to be an All-NBA player every year. He's a multi-time all-star, a complete wing that can score in a multitude of ways, create his own shot, good enough three-point shooter, capable play-maker and an elite defender. Mentally too, Butler has that killer instinct you want. He won't shy away from the moment, and you can always count on him to step up and demand the ball when things get rough. All championship teams need a guy like that. If a Butler is available, you go get him. He showed up in last year's playoffs, leading the 76ers in points and assists.
The 76ers did give up valuable assets, Robert Covington and Dario Saric, but they really aren't close to the level of player Jimmy is. Covington is an all-defense level player and has an above league average 3-point shot, but Butler is basically everything Covington is but better, and Saric is a promising stretch 4 but was not elite then or now. With Butler the 76ers were legit contenders, and a Kawhi shot away from a possible Eastern Conference Finals berth.
That's not to say there weren't warning signs of course. Butler is known to butt heads in locker rooms and you never know how others will respond to his particular style, and Butler is rather ball dominant which can take touches away from Simmons. In the playoffs against the Raptors, Simmons usage rate plummeted to just 14.9%, and if Simmons isn't the primary ball handler he doesn't yet offer much else. There's also an argument about whether you should be trading players away for what ended up being a one year rental. However, it was not clear at the time of the trade that they would be unable to sign Butler, and the Raptors essentially did that with Kawhi and won the championship. Butler isn't Kawhi, but he's just one step down. The 76ers had a window to get a proven two-way star and took it. Was it risky? Yes. Did it work? No. Was it a dumb decision? No.
Just like Harris, the second part of the equation involves the decision to let Butler go as they traded him in a four team trade, receiving Josh Richardson from the Miami Heat. People believe that the FO chose Tobias Harris over Butler. However, the biggest defense for the front office are the various rumblings that it wasn't much of a choice at all. We may never know exactly what happened, but Butler seemed unwilling to stay for numerous reason. The most commonly cited ones were that he didn't get along with the young 76er's stars and that he wanted to be the main man on the team, the primary ball handler, which was not going to happen with Simmons and Embiid around. Butler was also traded before Tobias Harris' contract was signed, the trade happening on July 6th and Harris' extension was on July 10th. Of course this doesn't mean that they didn't choose Harris over Butler, but Harris' money did not prevent them from signing Butler. So the decision to trade Butler was not really a decision at all, it was by all accounts forced upon the front office.
Jimmy Butler is the type of player that Championship teams have. Going to get him was not a bad move, and I hesitate to call it a mistake even though it didn't work out the way the 76er's wanted it to. Letting him go was a "mistake" but how can the front office be blamed for something that wasn't really their choice? Next, we'll take a look at the final three players, Markelle Fultz, Al Horford and J.J. Redick.
