Did Jimmy Butler leave the 76ers or did they leave him? Either way, Butler was moved to Miami in a sign and trade that gave Philadelphia Josh Richardson. The 76ers later used their remaining cap space on Al Horford. Well, we know what eventually happened. It turns out there may have been more to the story.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer has reported that Brett Brown did not want Jimmy Butler to return:
“According to multiple sources, Brown had a hand in breaking that team up because he didn’t want to deal with Jimmy Butler, who was the team’s closer and who’s never afraid to speak his mind.
So the Sixers moved on from Butler and brought in Al Horford, and this season was a major letdown.”
It’s only a matter of time until Brown gets fired. That part is obvious. Philadelphia is on the verge of getting swept in the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs by the Celtics. This report feels like it’s coming from the front office. We know Brown is going to be the fall guy here. How can we make Brown look bad before we fire him? Oh, I know, let’s pin Jimmy Butler leaving on Brett Brown. PERFECT.
At the end of the day, Elton Brand built the goofiest roster in the league that never made any sense. The Tobias Harris trade was a gross overpay which forced them to then overpay in free agency. The Al Horford contract was indefensible. If this report is true, Brown needs to be fired but Elton Brand also needs to get kicked to the curb.
