Philadelphia 76ers may have significant Jimmy Butler trade interest, but they’d prefer to sign an All-Star instead

Expectations are that Philadelphia 76ers team president Daryl Morey will be aggressive in his pursuit of a third star to pair with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. With cap space and trade assets available, the Sixers seemingly have multiple paths to improving Nick Nurse’s roster this summer, but which do they prefer?

Rumors have linked the 76ers to a possible reunion with Jimmy Butler, but there’s no guarantee the Miami Heat are ready to trade the five-time All-NBA talent. Yet, some executives around the NBA are closely monitoring his situation in Miami, wondering if Pat Riley’s comments could be signs that a possible trade is coming.

In a recent appearance on the Locked On Heat podcast, Hoops Hype insider Michael Scotto noted that if Butler did become available via trade, the 76ers would likely have a significant amount of interest. Yet, he also suggested another scenario that the team would rather agree to.

Related: Tom Thibodeau bites back at Jimmy Butler’s wild claims

Philadelphia 76ers would pick signing Paul George over Jimmy Butler trade

According to Michael Scotto, the Philadelphia 76ers would much rather simply sign Paul George instead of coughing up their trade assets, plus pay Jimmy Butler.

“Jimmy, in an ideal world, wants to stay in Miami, wants to get the max extension. I get why Pat Riley wants to hold off a little bit. I think if you’re looking at teams who would want Jimmy Butler, I think you gotta put the Sixers right at the top of the list. However, with that said, if you’re the Sixers, ideally, pretty confident they’d rather have Paul George as a free agent. Just pay him the money and not have to give up assets, in addition to paying the money as they will with Jimmy Butler.”

NBA insider Michael Scotto on Philadelphia 76ers rumors

Both Butler and George are 34 years old. They’re both known for being one of their team’s top scorers and defenders, but as mentioned, the 76ers would not only have to trade draft picks plus expensive contracts, they’d still have to sign Butler to a massive contract extension, just as they would with George.

Ultimately, it makes a lot more sense for the 76ers to see if George first becomes available and if he’d have any interest in moving out of his home state of California to play in Philadelphia to join Joel Embiid’s pursuit of an NBA Championship.

Related: Former Chicago Bulls player reveals legendary encounter between Jimmy Butler and Fred Hoiberg