The name of Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is amongst those who are set to be on the trading block during this offseason. While he has been the face of the Heat for more than a decade, his recent injuries and issues with contract extension are compelling the team to give him the boot. Even if Butler himself was looking to return to his old grounds, however, an unofficial restriction by team president Daryl Morey can complicate things.

Former ESPN reporter Marc Stein recently provided an update on the Philadelphia 76ers’ plans during the offseason. According to it, Daryl Morey is looking to include some new players into the roster going into the next season, possibly at the expense of some of his veteran players. However, the 51-year-old has reportedly put out a specific criterion, by which he is only looking for players who can shoot a high volume of three-pointers at a consistent rate. This means that not only Butler but a few other prospects that were earlier being touted to head to Philadelphia would get rejected.

“Another variable whenever [Brandon] Ingram, [Jimmy] Butler, or free agent-to-be DeMar DeRozan is mentioned as a potential Sixer — none of them shoot 3’s with the sort of consistency and/or volume that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is believed to be seeking” Marc Stein wrote in his report.

During the 2023-24 regular season, Jimmy Butler recorded an average three-point percentage of 41.4% to his name. This was the highest average percentage he established to his name in the 13 years he has been a part of the NBA. At the same time, however, that percentage was only made possible due to the 1-2.4 three-pointers he averaged per game. Butler made 60 three-pointers during the recent season, which was the 11th-highest amongst the members of his roster. Duncan Robinson, who only played 8 games more than him, took the lead with 187 three-pointers. These stats are certainly not something that the 76ers’ President of basketball operations would find appealing.

The Philadelphia 76ers were willing to offer Jimmy Butler the extension refused by the Miami Heat

One of the possible reasons for the Miami Heat looking to part ways with Jimmy Butler can be financial. According to several reports, he initially sought a 2-year extension with the franchise in exchange for $113 million. Since his current contract won’t expire till the end of the 2025-26 season, giving another extension would keep the player with the Heat for a total of 4 years and cost them $214 million during that time. Since Butler will be in his late 30s by the end of it, the franchise may have decided to trade to avoid making such a risky investment. The Philadelphia 76ers were willing to offer Jimmy Butler the extension refused by the Miami Heat.

Back in late May, ‘Philadelphia Inquirer’ journalist Keith Pompey reported that the 76ers are currently looking to include Paul George in their roster. If the same does not happen, however, then they are willing to pay the cost to bring Jimmy Butler back.

“The Sixers could have close to $65 million available in salary-cap space this summer” wrote Pompey. “They’ll also have five first-round picks and multiple pick swaps available to trade beginning at the start of the June 26-27 NBA draft. As a result, the Sixers would have enough cap space to absorb Butler’s salary in a trade”.

Even by fulfilling the player’s pay, the 76ers would still have $9.5 million remaining. Unfortunately, while money may not be an issue, the specific want of Daryl Morey is.

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about the Lakers legend’s infamous feud with the late Kobe Bryant.