The Minnesota Timberwolves traded Jimmy Butler and Justin Patton to the Philadelphia 76ers. According the Senior lead NBA Insider, writer and analyst for The Athletic and Stadium, Shams Charania tweeted on Nov. 10, “Minnesota has traded Jimmy Butler and Justin Patton to Philadelphia for Robert Covington, Dario Saric and a 2022 second-round draft pick, league sources tell me and @JonKrawczynski.”
Jimmy Butler is a four-time NBA All-Star.
The Sixers have gotten off to a slow start this year at 14-8. However, they have been rebuilding themselves over the past couple seasons and came back and made it to the playoffs last year and advanced to the semifinals.
“I think acquiring Butler is a huge step in the right direction,” sophomore exercise science major, Josh Cunningham said. “I was upset at first because two of the players, Dario Saric and Robert Covington, had to leave as a result of the trade. As a Sixers fan, I am no stranger to the feeling of losing some good player because it took a lot of trades to get to where we are today.”
Butler’s Debut
Butler’s big debut was on Nov. 14 against the Orlando Magic. The biggest reason for the trade was to conquer one of their biggest weaknesses: late-game offense. With the outcome of Wednesdays game, the trade was necessary.
The game was going well for the Sixers until the fourth quarter. They were up 16 points before Orlando scored 21 consecutive points bringing the score 97-92 Orlando.
As for Butler’s performance, he did well in his first Philadelphia debut. Butler’s stats was 14 points, four rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes.
“You can tell he still has to learn the sets and create chemistry with his new teammates,” senior Tommy Majorjello said. “He brings a skill of creating offense off the dribble which is something that has killed the Sixers recently.
“We’re going to be just fine because once we put this together, we’re going to be tough. A lot has been going on, but that’s no excuse for not winning,” Butler said in an interview with NBA press. ”No matter what, we’re expected to win. I’m expecting to win, and we’re expecting to win as a team. So that isn’t an excuse.”
“He (Butler) had a day to learn a whole new offense and defense which at the professional level is extremely hard. I think once the team chemistry starts to form, there is no ceiling to what this team can do,” Cunningham said.
76ers future
Butler is currently averaging 21.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists while knocking down 37.8 percent of his shots from three for the Timberwolves. Butler has scored at least 20 points in eight of the Timberwolves’ games.
“I think Butler has a lot to bring to the team. People know that he can score and make a game winning shot but he also is a good defensive player,” junior criminology major Kyle Hopkins said. “He’s never made it first team all defense but he’s made second team all defense four times. So it’s good having an elite player that can play both.”
Jimmy Butler has replaced Markelle Fultz in the starting lineup along side JJ Redick, Ben Simmons, Wilson Chandler and Joel Embiid.
“I think Fultz will continue to progress further even with a personality like Jimmy butler in the squad. If he can still continue to make an impact off the bench then I think that will just add to the Sixer’s strength,” Cunningham said.
