Jimmy Butler is officially a member of the Sixers, and appears to be on track to make his debut with his new team on Wednesday in Orlando. As Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com writes, head coach Brett Brown views the newest 76er as a “perfect fit” for the city and for the team, given his fierce competitiveness and willingness to play hard-nosed defense.
Meanwhile, new Sixers general manager Elton Brand indicated in a statement that he believes the franchise now has three of the league’s top 20 players on its roster.
“We have a championship window that’s centered around the continued progression of our talented young core, as well as our ability to add elite players who elevate our program,” Brand said. “In Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, we have two of the NBA’s top 20 players. Now, we’ve added a third top-20 player in Jimmy Butler, who is one of the NBA’s very best on both ends of the floor. This move further strengthens our pursuit of a championship and gives us a formidable combination to take on the league’s top teams.”
We have several more leftover items and reactions related to the Butler deal to pass along, so we’ll round them up right here:
- After reportedly generating friction with teammates in Chicago and Minnesota, Butler may find the Sixers to be the perfect fit at the perfect time, writes Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
- ESPN’s Kirk Goldsberry explores why Butler won’t solve Philadephia’s biggest issue, while Chris Mannix of SI.com suggests that “The Process” has led to “The Gamble” in Philadelphia, with the Sixers taking a risk on Butler.
- Having been put in a tough spot by Butler’s trade request, the Timberwolves managed to get good value in their deal with Philadelphia by landing Robert Covington and Dario Saric, says Britt Robson of The Athletic.
- In the wake of the Butler trade, Anthony Tolliver says that it feels like a cloud hovering over the Timberwolves has lifted, as Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets.
- Reports throughout the Butler saga suggested that Tom Thibodeau wanted players who could help the team win now, and the Timberwolves‘ head coach and president of basketball operations confirmed as much on Monday, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “We wanted quality players. That was important for us,” Thibodeau said. “[We get] two starters [Covington and Saric] off a team that won 52 games, and they’re both young. … Once we get to that point where we felt we were getting multiple rotational players, we felt it would be time to execute the deal.”
- Covington posted a message on his Instagram account thanking the Sixers and the fans in Philadelphia for his time with the organization. “It’s been a incredible journey and I definitely wouldn’t change it for the world,” Covington wrote. “I built friendships and bonds that will last a lifetime. Now a new journey awaits and I’m thankful for this opportunity.”
- In case you missed it on Monday, we relayed reactions from Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins on the Butler deal, more comments from Thibodeau, details on the Pelicans’ and Rockets’ trade offers, and a note on the Nets’ involvement in Butler trade talks.
Ben Simmons is definitely not a top 20 player in the league. And probably not Embiid either. And Butler’s in the 15-20 range. I like the addition but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Um, Embid is definitely a top 10 guy. Top 5; James, Durant, Davis, Gianis, Leonard. Next 5; Curry, Harden, Embid, Jokic, Lilard.
Westbrook?
Simmons not until he shoots. Embiid easy top 10 and rising.
Seriously? Embiid is not only too 20, he’s performing too 5 level with room for further improvement.
Hahaha
Embid having mvp, start.
Let’s see your list.
How is Embiid not? He’s the best center in the league… Ben probably not top 20. But he’s not far off. Maybe in the 25-30 range. Besides Durant and Giannis there’s not many 6-10 dudes capable of doing what Ben does
Unless Giannis is playing the 5. Giannis > Embiid all day.
Giannis is not a 5.
You are nuts.
Covington is a hero for enduring what he did here. And I’m gonna miss the Homie
Jimmy’s a Top 12er …
says Jimmy
Embiid is so far the MVP of the season after 15 games, as simple as, everyone can see that, is not an opinion, is a fact, if you look at his stats is the best player in the league right now. & on top of that he is making his team win, he has been the reason for every single one of Philly’s victories. I think anyone who says Embiid isn’t even a top 10 or 20 must be some salty Celtic fan, or whatever but isn’t normal to say that, maybe missing the meds?
Towns and Wiggins couldn’t have handled the whole thing more professionally… they’ve been ripped on personally for months, but won’t engage with Butler on it. My god, NBA players acting like adults??
They just gotta get out there and live up to their hype on the court now.
Agree… They & the team suffered… The lesson from Europe & past experience is, if a player wants out, it’s best to move them before fans like us make the situation worse. It doesn’t get better.
Opposition to contract-breaking should come from the league via lawsuits for not making effort. I doubt Silver does anything though. Teams have to look out for themselves to prevent morale loss.
Value Over Replacement Player
1. Nikola Jokic • DEN 1.3
2. Damian Lillard • POR 1.1
3. Kevin Durant • GSW 1.0
4. Stephen Curry • GSW 1.0
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo • MIL .9
6. LeBron James • LAL .9
7. Kemba Walker • CHO .9
8. Joel Embiid • PHI .9
9. Anthony Davis • NOP .9
10. Rudy Gobert • UTA .9
11. Kyle Lowry • TOR .8
12. Kyrie Irving • BOS .8
13. Victor Oladipo • IND .8
14. Nikola Vucevic • ORL .8
15. James Harden • HOU .7
16. Montrezl Harrell • LAC .7
17. Ben Simmons • PHI .7
18. Pascal Siakam • TOR .7
19. Paul George • OKC .7
20. Blake Griffin • DET .6