Four days after the Timberwolves and Sixers first agreed to a blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade, and two days after that deal was officially completed, Butler made his Philadelphia debut on Wednesday night while Robert Covington and Dario Saric made their first appearances as members of the Wolves.
Butler had a fairly quiet first game for the Sixers, posting just 14 points and four rebounds in 33 minutes as his new team lost to the Magic, 111-106. Despite the loss, head coach Brett Brown and the 76ers weren’t discouraged, pointing out that getting everyone on the same page in the wake of Butler’s arrival will take a little time.
“I mean, it’s hard,” Brown said after the game, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com. “He comes in, and he’s trying to do the right thing. You’re trying to put in some plays this morning at shootaround. He’s trying to figure everybody else out, [and] they’re trying to figure him out. It’s going to take time. It’s going to take time. I think, in general, you sort of see what you have in him, and it’s incredibly exciting.”
Things went better in Minnesota, where Covington and Saric combined for 22 points and 10 rebounds en route to a 107-100 win over New Orleans. As Patrick Reusse of The Star Tribune writes, Covington got an early taste of Tom Thibodeau‘s tendency to ride his starters hard, playing a game-high 41 minutes for Minnesota. “As Thibs said, ‘Being out there on the court is the best way to learn about your new teammates,'” Covington told reporters with a smile after the game. Meanwhile, Thibodeau suggested after the game that Covington’s defensive effort made it easy to give him a major role immediately.
“I knew we could use him right away because he brings so much defensively,” Thibodeau said. “And he goes so hard … if you go hard enough it’s going to make up for a lot of things, including being new to a team.”
Here’s more on the Sixers’ and Timberwolves’ new additions, and how each team is being impacted by the changes:
- Time is on the Sixers‘ side as they adjust to the arrival of Butler, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. With the start of the playoffs still five months away, the team has plenty of time to work out the kinks, and Butler is confident that’ll happen before too long. “How tough will it be? Nah, it’s not hard at all,” Butler said. “So far we all get along. I think that’s the first thing — we all want each other to be great. We’re all talking about where we’re supposed to be and what we see out there on the floor. I’m telling you, it’s coming sooner rather than later. We’re going to be just fine.”
- In an interesting piece for HoopsHype, Alex Kennedy goes behind the scenes on Butler’s first couple days as a Sixer, sharing details on how the 29-year-old and his new Philadelphia teammates found out about the trade on Saturday. Kennedy also reports that the 76ers held a team dinner on Tuesday night in the hopes that Butler, fellow newcomer Justin Patton, other recent additions like Wilson Chandler and Mike Muscala, and the team’s incumbent players could all get to know each other a little better.
- With Butler no longer on the team, Karl-Anthony Towns is ready to lead the Timberwolves in his own way, according to Malika Andrews of ESPN.com, who writes that Towns is hoping for a looser environment in Minnesota. “All those teams I was on that were successful were the ones that everyone had love for each other and had fun,” Towns told Andrews. “Things that seem minuscule — joking around, laughing, conversing, all those things that seem childish — that is what builds camaraderie.”
What really stings is the Sixers are 0-3 since the trade was announced. Honestly I feel like we would have won at least 2 out of Memphis, Miami, and Orlando with Dario and Roco in the lineup those nights. I still like the trade because he’s going to make a difference come playoff time however we are 3 games in the hole so far on this trade.
Not really fair to judge the two games after the trade but before Butler arrived.
we beat MIA
Did anyone else notice the sense of urgency in Fultz’s play? I think that’s a direct result of this trade.
I think he’s been playing like that all season so far. He has a knack for the ball, making plays even when that much maligned shot isn’t falling
No I was ready to go on the court and knock him out for looking like a lazy POS first few games. His entire demnour has changed this week.
The Sixers are not 0-3 since the trade they’re 1-2 but I get your point…
Thibs is not seeing that allegedly horrible man2man defense from Roco.
Towns likes ” joking, laughing & conversing”, and using big words while doing so. Now how did he pronounce comradery.
I didn’t get the trade from phili. Saric is a great player and great fit. You just put two of the worst three point shooting guards in the back court together.
Saric is going to get paid. He is a stretch-4, better than Ryan Anderson, not as good as Kevin Love. Hes a top-75 player at the moment. But you netted a Top-20 player. You dumped an average player on RoCo, who shouldn’t be a starter, 6th man sure. And you dumped Bayless without surrendering a 1st. It’s a clear win. The Kawhi trades they wanted Fultz, Saric, and 1sts. For a Top-5 player, so this was a great move.