Report: 76ers Tried To Acquire Jimmy Butler From Heat In Summer After Joel Embiid Pushed For It

According to NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, the Philadelphia 76ers tried to acquire Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat in the summer after Joel Embiid pushed for it. 

Butler and Embiid are close friends. They were teammates on the Sixers in 2018-19. 

“Over the summer, Philadelphia tried to engage Miami on a Butler deal before agreeing to terms with George — Joel Embiid wanted a reunion with Butler and pushed for it, according to sources who spoke to Yahoo Sports over the summer and recently,” Goodwill wrote. 

Butler has requested a trade from the Heat. He’s upset he didn’t get an extension over the summer. 

One of the best players in the NBA, Butler is open to trade destinations such as the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets. The Marquette product is making $48.8 million this season.

Butler joined the Heat in 2019. Miami lost in the 2020 NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers, lost in the first round of the 2021 playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks, lost in the 2022 conference finals to the Boston Celtics, lost in the 2023 NBA Finals to the Denver Nuggets and lost in the first round last season to Boston. 

Butler has played for the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sixers and Heat. He has career averages of 18.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.4 blocks. The swingman has made five All-NBA teams and five All-Defensive Teams. 

Butler has a $52 million player option for next season. The swingman can’t control his trade request since he doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract. 

“I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be, we’ll find out here pretty soon,” Butler said. “I’m happy here off the court, but I want to be back to somewhat dominant, I want to hoop and I want to help this team win, and right now I’m not doing it.”

When asked if he can get his joy back on the court with the Heat, Butler responded: “Probably not.”