This is post 4 of 9. For the rest of my Team Free Agency Questions, click here!
Going into the playoffs last year, the 76ers boasted one of the best starting fives in the NBA. With Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, JJ Reddick, Tobias Harris, and Joel Embiid as their core, the 76ers had one of the biggest and best defensive lineups in the league.
So while they’re disappointed that they lost to the Raptors in Game 7 of the Semi-Finals last year, they gave the Raptors their toughest series of the Playoffs and they have a phenomenal core with Simmons and Embiid.
Their biggest question start on June 30th is this: can they retain everyone and run it back?
They have JJ Reddick, Jimmy Butler, and Tobias Harris all set to to enter free agency. Unfortunately for the Sixers as well, these guys are all top tier free agents which means they’ll get a lot of money on the open market. Jimmy Butler will get a max offer anywhere he goes, and Tobias Harris will get a $20 million a year offer (at least) which they can afford this year; next year is when things get complicated and expensive though. They can create about $58 million in cap space this offseason, but next year, Ben Simmons is extension eligible and when he does get one, it’s going to be in the $25-$30 million range, like the one Joel Embiid has.
Another winkle that further complicates their future is the Houston Rockets’ desire to acquire Jimmy Butler via sign-and-trade, no matter what it takes. In order to do this, the Rockets will need to give up some combination (2 of the 3) of Clint Capela, Eric Gordon, and PJ Tucker. This could either be directly to the 76ers or to another team if they can get a 3rd involved.
If I’m the 76ers, my number one priority is to re-sign Jimmy Butler – give him all the money you can. Last postseason, when they were in crunch time, they took the ball out of Ben Simmons’ hands and let Butler run the offense. They can’t expect to go deep in the playoffs next year without him.
A sign-and-trade could be just as compelling for the 76ers though because getting a combo of Capela and Gordon would help their great defense get even better, plus they’d provide the shooting that the 76ers need for Embiid and Simmons to operate the offense.
This is obviously their backup plan if they can’t re-sign Butler for the full four to five years. If Butler insist on going to Houston, then the 76ers could re-sign just Harris for four years, give JJ another one-year deal and then run out a lineup of: Ben Simmons, PJ Tucker, Eric Gordon, Tobias Harris, and Joel Embiid. Throw in Matisse Thybulle and Zaire Smith and the Sixers will have the best defensive rotation in the NBA – scoring will still be a problem for them. Obviously, Jimmy Butler is one of the best two-way players in the league, but the Sixers could do much worse than the lineup I mentioned above.
Additionally, according to multiple rumors, Kawhi Leonard may be setting up a meeting with 76ers. If they get Kawhi, then they're are more than happy to sign-and-trade Jimmy Butler because they'd now have the only better two way wing than him - plus they'd have the NBA Finals MVP.
Mini-Rockets Section:
Would this really work for the Rockets; if they even pull this off? They need the Sixers to play nice and cooperate which is no guarantee unless Butler really wants to go to the Rockets and has no desire to return to Philly.
Daryl Morey has shown that he doesn’t care about chemistry, just talent. Like the Lakers, all you need to do is land the stars and then everything else will follow. Having Butler would help the Rockets overcome an inevitable Chris Paul injury in January sometime next year.
The other issue I have is because of how the Rocket’s offense is structured. I trust Mike D’Antoni to create a great offense with whoever he has on his team, but having three guys who dribble the air out of the ball can’t be good for offensive flow. James Harden and Chris Paul were both top 10 in dribbles per possession last season and Butler was in the top three for the 76ers. Someone is going to have to sacrifice. I just don’t think anyone else can do it.
Also the Harden/Capela lob was nearly unguardable all last year – now if they move Capela then that offensive attack is over for them. I’m sure the Rockets will figure it out, I’m just skeptical about that locker room though. I would love to be a fly on the wall of that locker room if they go down 2-1 in a playoff series next May.
But with the Warriors injured, the Rockets know this will be their best chance of the decade to win the NBA Title. Speaking of the Warriors, what does it look like for them heading into free agency?