76ers May Pursue Jimmy Butler Trade From Heat, Report Suggests

NBA insider Marc Stein says other teams think the Philadelphia 76ers might try to get Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat this summer.

Butler played 55 games for the 76ers in the 2018-19 season before signing with the Heat through a sign-and-trade deal in 2019. He is good friends with Philadelphia”s Joel Embiid.

Butler will earn $48.8 million next season and has a player option worth $52.4 million for the 2025-26 season.

The Heat were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, losing the series in five games. Butler couldn”t play due to a knee injury.

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Known as one of the best two-way players in the league, Butler averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists this season while shooting 49.9% from the field, 41.4% from three-point range, and 85.8% from the free-throw line. He turns 35 in September.

Butler can sign an extension this offseason and reportedly wants a maximum deal from the Heat.

Butler, a six-time All-Star, has career averages of 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists while playing for the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, 76ers, and Heat. He has led the Heat to two NBA Finals.

Miami lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 Finals and to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 Finals.

In the 2024 playoffs, the 76ers were defeated by the New York Knicks in the first round, losing the series in six games. Daryl Morey is unlikely to re-sign Tobias Harris, who will be an unrestricted free agent, possibly opening a spot for Butler or another forward to join the starting lineup with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

Embiid, disappointed when the 76ers let Butler leave in 2019, has never gone beyond the second round of the playoffs. It will be interesting to see if Philadelphia can reunite Embiid and Butler.

With Butler, Embiid, and Maxey together, the 76ers could be a serious contender in the Eastern Conference next season.