For the Sixers fans who have long called for J. Butler back in Philadelphia, here you go.
While many of his new Philadelphia 76ers teammates arrived via 10-day contracts or hardship exceptions, Jared Butler joined the Sixers with a draft capital sunk cost behind his acquisition. Prior to the trade deadline in February, Daryl Morey sent Reggie Jackson and a 2026 first-round pick (least favorable between the Clippers, Thunder, and Rockets) to Washington in exchange for Butler and four future second-round picks. Butler’s season-high 26 points against the Sixers in early January, when he was far and away the best player on the floor for the Wizards, surely was a factor in bringing him into the fold. Within a week, the Sixers had converted Butler from a two-way contract to a standard NBA deal. I don’t have an NBA version of the Jimmy Johnson NFL trade value chart to analyze that pick exchange, but clearly, the Sixers organization felt Butler was a guy they wanted to keep around.
So where does our assessment stand with the Sixers’ season mercifully concluded? After taking a bit of time to enter Nick Nurse’s circle of trust, Butler made 28 appearances as a Sixer, including 17 starts. He averaged 11.5 points and 4.9 assists against 1.8 turnovers, shooting 35.2 percent from three on 4.6 attempts per game. He started the final six games of the season, averaging 15.8 points and 5.3 assists across that stretch. While Butler’s 42.6 percent mark from the field overall isn’t stellar, I’d attribute that more to a small sample size given his better numbers during the year and a half prior in Washington. Given the whole picture, we saw a player who can distribute relatively efficiently, space the floor adequately, and play hard-nosed defense.
Philadelphia will have a team option for Butler next season at $2.35 million. The front office has until June 29 to make a decision on the option, so the NBA draft will be in the rearview mirror, but the team will not have been able to begin negotiating with free agents yet. Still, a minimum salary slot is expected to be close to the same dollar value, meaning the decision of whether or not to keep Butler will not be a financial one.
Ultimately, I do feel like Butler will be back in Philadelphia next season. During end-of-season interviews, Morey said the roster moving forward will represent “a younger, more dynamic group.” Butler certainly fits that mold. He will only be turning 25 years old in August and this spring was the first time he really received an extended look at the NBA level. Based on what we saw following his arrival to Philadelphia, Butler has already shown he has a floor as a competent reserve point guard in this league. I’d be much more inclined to retain him and see if he can grow into anything more, rather than bring in a veteran in the vein of Kyle Lowry or Eric Gordon. Sure, there might be higher-ceiling young players available, but those likely aren’t guys who are going to be signing at around a minimum salary slot.
Player Grade: B