Hoping to establish themselves as one of the best contenders in the NBA, the Philadelphia 76ers were aggressive this offseason. Boasting former NBA MVP Joel Embiid, the 76ers already had a strong core.
Yet, after winning 47 games last season and getting eliminated in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, the 76ers have experienced a great amount of adversity this season.
Embiid has been limited to 13 games and Paul George, the team’s biggest offseason acquisition, has only played in 30 out of a possible 44 games. This has resulted in a 17-27 record for Philadelphia, placing them in 11th place of the East entering NBA games today.
Their struggles could have the Sixers considering a blockbuster move ahead of the February 6 NBA trade deadline.
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Philadelphia 76ers could consider trading Paul George for Jimmy Butler
While the Philadelphia 76ers just signed Paul George to a four-year, $211.5 million max-level contract this past offseason, they may already be looking to trade the nine-time All-Star.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill, the 76ers may even be open to the idea of swapping George for Jimmy Butler before the NBA trade deadline passes.
“I’ve heard that Philly quietly could be a suitor for Jimmy Butler…theoretically, it would be a Jimmy for Paul George swap. I believe that Embiid is pushing for them to reacquire Jimmy.”
Goodwill on Philadelphia 76ers/Jimmy Butler trade
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If Embiid truly is pushing for the 76ers to re-acquire Butler, Philadelphia could very well quickly emerge as one of the most viable suitors for the disgruntled All-NBA talent. Yet, they’d have to beat the others, like the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors, out for Butler instead.
