Udonis Haslem laughed off the rumors linking Jimmy Butler with a move from the Miami Heat to join the Philadelphia 76ers. Haslem mocked the report on ESPN, claiming the 76ers have a better chance of getting Bronny James than Jimmy while reminding Butler that he has to go through him if he wants to leave Miami.
“They (Sixers) got a better chance of getting Bronny (than) they do of getting Jimmy… Hell to the naw, you can’t get out of the 305. How you gonna do that? You gotta go through me; I’m standing at the county line.”
Haslem seems adamant about Butler staying with the Heat, but he doesn’t have any control over what Butler decides. Reports suggest the 34-year Heat forward will have his representatives contact the Heat with a demand for a two-year max extension worth $112 million.
It’s unclear how valuable the Heat think Butler is, but they wouldn’t let their star player out the door without a fight. The 76ers are heavily rumored to make a swing for Butler, with the best team they’ve had in the Joel Embiid era coming with Butler on the roster before the franchise let him walk to the Heat in 2019.
If the Heat aren’t willing to pay the price required to sign Butler to an extension, they might be incentivized into making a trade with the 76ers. They have the salary space to absorb Jimmy’s contract while possessing picks that could be valuable for the Heat in retooling their roster around Bam Adebayo.
Butler averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists this season before missing their first-round loss to the Celtics due to injury. He’s owed $101.2 million over the next two years, so the Heat aren’t in a rush to move him to a new destination.
The 76ers Regret Not Paying Jimmy Butler In 2019
The 76ers were in a position to keep Butler on their franchise long-term after his season-long stint with them in 2018-19, which ended with Kawhi Leonard’s miraculous Game 7 buzzer-beater eliminating the 76ers in the second round.
Instead of keeping Jimmy, they prioritized extending Tobias Harris on a contract that runs out this summer. The additional money was used to sign Al Horford for a season, with the 76ers receiving Josh Richardson in the sign-and-trade which sent Jimmy to the Heat. In retrospect, the 76ers regret that decision, according to the reputed Keith Pompey.
“Talking to my sources, the 76ers’ ownership group — they kinda regret what they did five years ago [in trading Jimmy Butler] and they see the success that he’s had. And they realize he could be in their eyes, the missing piece, and they’re willing to give him the money he wants.”
The 76ers can right their wrongs if they reacquire him, already intending to give Butler a max contract if he is traded to them this season.
“According to sources, the Sixers are prepared to give Butler a maximum-salary extension if things align and he forces a trade out of Miami.”
If Butler is traded and signs the two-year, $113 million max extension he wants, the 76ers could be paying Butler over $200 million until he turns 38 years old. That is a risky bet to take, but the mentality that Butler could bring to the franchise might be what they need to level up their star duo of Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, with Jimmy Butler alongside them.
