Just past lunchtime, fans got word of a Jimmy Butler trade. After all the upheaval that went on in Minnesota over the past few weeks leading into the season, the star forward was finally traded.
The Minnesota Timberwolves dealt Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers in November 2018. The prospects of the transaction were fascinating, to say the least. While the Timberwolves were left behind with a largely average roster, the 76ers catapulted to contender status within the blink of an eye.
While some questioned the team's decision to insert the often moody and sometimes emotionally eruptive star, others viewed it as the final checkmark in completing that Philadelphia blue-collar brand of basketball.
"Jimmy's approach has always been not whether he's right or wrong. It's about, 'Are you giving everything you have?'" voiced Tyler basketball head coach Mike Marquis in 2018, who coached Butler in the 2007-08 season. "And some people don't like to be challenged like that. Society is changing. The old days of coach Bobby Knight and Gen. George Patton being a fiery motivator are not what today is acceptable. Jimmy's got some real old-school toughness in him. And guys don't like to be questioned about their effort."
Butler's tenure in Minnesota was a rocky one. During free agency that summer, the All-Star quickly rejected a contract extension. A couple of months later, he led open defiance against his teammates and coaches — famously saying, "This [blank] ain't it." After challenging his teammates during practice and notoriously questioning their toughness and manhood, Butler simply waited until the news of his trade dropped.
Starting over in Philly
For the first time in his career, Butler appeared to have a real shot at winning a championship. Although he was a part of some talented Chicago Bulls team in his earlier years, the prideful star hadn't reached a level where he could be a title-caliber 'Robin' to former MVP Derrick Rose.
Besides, with LeBron James ' chokehold on the Eastern Conference, no one viewed Chicago as a serious threat to any throne.
But now, there was no James — he was in Los Angeles trying to figure out how to win with many young players. Butler had joined rising stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. The Sixers would also add star scorer Tobias Harris from the Los Angeles Clippers at the buzzer of the trade deadline in February. Suddenly, Philly had a lineup and a real shot at making noise.
"Jimmy thrives under blankets of controversy and heat-of-the-battle type moments, and I greatly respect it," said head coach Brett Brown . "If you look at high-level competitors, it's part of their DNA, and it's certainly part of his DNA."
It seemed like the perfect marriage. Philly was a tough culture that got even tougher with the addition of coach Brown. With a 7-foot-2 mammoth in the middle of it all in Embiid and the league's tallest point guard leading the fast break — Butler was arguably the perfect guy to plug in at the wing. The team needed a clutch closer — they got one. The team needed an alpha, and they got one.
"Jimmy does seem to be having fun playing again," Marquis stated . "The Sixers are fun to watch, and he seems to be happy. I know him well enough to know that there are bigger and better things ahead still for Jimmy."
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This close to glory
Kawhi Leonard's missed free throw gave the Sixers more than a puncher's chance. As Harris secured the rebound, he immediately looked ahead to find Butler, who already had his mind made up. With just 14 points to his name on the night, N0. 23 bolted up the court in a two-on-four fast break in favor of Toronto. The fearless Butler took the ball straight down the lane and kissed it off the glass just over the outstretched fingertips of elite shot-blocking big man Serge Ibaka — timeout Toronto.
The layup tied the ball game. What Butler had been doing all season long — converting clutch baskets — happened again in Game 7 of the 2019 semifinals. After years of pitying their win-loss record — once losing the most games in a row through two seasons — Philly's success was here at last.
Now, they just needed to figure out how to secure a stunning road victory against one of the NBA's elite home teams. Then, it happened:
"It's off to Leonard. Defended by Simmons. Is this the dagger? OH!" exclaimed TNT broadcaster Kevin Harlen.
"Game. Series. Toronto has won!"
Toronto was off to the conference finals. Philadelphia was going home. Jimmy Butler was going somewhere in a matter of weeks with his pending free agency on tap. After a wildly adventurous season with Philly leading the NBA's 4th highest-scoring offense, their hopes and dreams were crushed off the most unprecedented shot the game has ever seen.
Trading for the former Minnesota star was a bold and risky move. For a long time, Philly reaped the benefits. Had it ended any other way, there's no telling what the immediate and future ramifications would've been.
Related: "Take care of me. I want to get paid right now" - Jeff Teague details what led to Jimmy Butler's departure from Minnesota
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