Potentially the most confusing move of any big name among the former Chicago Bulls in this free agent market came from star small forward Jimmy Butler in leaving the Philadelphia 76ers. He had a number of contenders to choose from and elected to go to a team where he probably won’t make the playoffs anytime soon.
The deal will include Josh Richardson to the 76ers, league sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/nWFrg00mtm
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2019
Philly seemed like a good landing spot for “Jimmy Buckets” as did a number of other NBA teams that aren’t the Heat. This was the time for Butler to join a true contender and continue to build with stars around him. He had a good situation with the Sixers, but he chose to take his talents elsewhere.
Butler seemingly had the opportunity to link up with the Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers and he chose to forego that. Even landing with the Houston Rockets would be a better spot for him to go than the Heat straight up. The reported deal for Butler was for four years and around $140 million. He’ll have to play this more for the long-term, which is tough at his age.
The sign-and-trade deal that was executed between the Heat and Sixers sent a key member of the supporting cast that Butler would be excited about out of town. Both shooting guard Josh Richardson and center Hassan Whiteside are on the move out of South Beach. Butler will be working with a skeleton crew in Miami.