Philadelphia 76ers should look into potential Jimmy Butler trade

If there really is a rocky relationship between Jimmy Butler and the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Philadelphia 76ers should strongly consider the possibility of a trade to land the small forward.

It’s hard to believe the Philadelphia 76ers will officially begin their 2018-19 season around this time next month, and all eyes will be on how Brett Brown’s team responds following last year’s surprise success.

With Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid finally healthy, many expected the Sixers to work their way into earning the No. 7 or No. 8 seed at best in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

Instead, Philadelphia would go on to earn the No. 3 seed, and even earned a trip to the semifinals of the playoffs before falling to the Boston Celtics.

All of a sudden, the expectations surrounding the Sixers heading into the upcoming season are higher than ever, although many believe this team may regret not landing a superstar this offseason.

As great as the duo of Simmons and Embiid looked at times, the playoffs made it clear that Philadelphia may need to add a superstar in the offseason just to compete with some of the other teams across the league, especially the Celtics.

Missing out on LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) and Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors), but when looking at all of the recent stories surrounding the rocky relationship with Jimmy Butler on the Minnesota Timberwolves, could this be a surprise option for Philadelphia?

While there were numerous rumors throughout the offseason about the possibility of Butler being on the trade block, nothing actually ever took place.

But between Butler appearing to be unhappy along with the reminder that he turned down a contract extension this offseason, it’s hard not to wonder if Minnesota would still be open to a trade.

Without question, the addition of a talented player like Butler to play alongside Simmons and Embiid would put the Sixers in a much better position to compete in the Eastern Conference. And while Minnesota is smart enough to know that acquiring Butler would have to come at the right price, Philadelphia has plenty to offer, whether it ends up being future draft picks or a few current players.

Even if the chances of this actually happening seem like a slim possibility, it can’t hurt the Sixers to at least explore what the Timberwolves would be asking for to land Butler.

Either way, how exciting is it to finally have Sixers basketball get underway again soon after all the months spent waiting?