NBA Trade Rumors: The Philadelphia 76ers have the pieces for Jimmy Butler or Klay Thompson
It seems almost every day the Philadelphia 76ers are involved in some sort of NBA Trade Rumors and rightfully so. They are the building a great foundation of young talent but the issue with the 76ers is, they may have too much talent. In order for the team to move forward, they must move one of their post players. It either has to be Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel.
But, as the 76ers get ready for what is sure to be a wild ride during the Trade Deadline, there are two teams that if the rumors are true, will be perfect trade partners for the 76ers. There have been whispers that the Chicago Bulls may be willing to listen to Jimmy Butler trade offers. Butler is a great two-way play, an Olympian, an All-Star and still young enough to be a face of the franchise player.
But, Butler may not be the only player the 7ers could go after. The Golden State Warriors will find themselves in a tight spot after the NBA Finals are over. Stephen Curry has to get paid and under the new CBA agreement, he could see up to $34M per year, and the same goes for Kevin Durant. If that were to happen, how could the Warriors afford to pay their four All-Stars while filling out the rest of their roster? There were already rumors of a Thompson to Boston Celtics trade and while that was brushed under the rug, there will come a time when Thompson or Draymond Green will be shipped out.
Maybe the Bulls and the Warriors have no interest in trading Butler and Thompson but if the right offer comes along, then it may be too hard for them to pass up. Ths is where the 76ers may hold the advantage over 90 percent of the teams in the NBA.
While the 76ers may have the proper frontcourt player both teams need in Okafor or Noel they also have two lottery picks depending on theirs and the Los Angles Lakers final record. Thanks to the 76ers having a chance at the Lakers pick in the 2017 NBA Draft (top 3 protected) the 76ers if they miss the playoffs could have a chance at a monopoly.
Imagine you are the Bulls or the Warriors and you get a call from the 76ers dangling Okafor or Noel plus what could turn out to be the 4th pick in the draft, what would you do?
Thompson and Butler are both great players but with the luxury cap hitting teams hard, GM’s may be forced to do the unthinkable. Noel/Okafor and the 4th-11th pick for Thompson or Butler and their huge salary. It may seem far-fetched now but when there are teams that are looking to rebuild, then drastic moves must be made. The 76ers, for all their years of tanking away seasons find themselves on the other side of the rainbow with a huge pot of gold.
These are just rumors, so please don’t get your feelings hurt.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
