NBA Rumors: Sixers Could Trade Markelle Fultz And Robert Covington For Jimmy Butler, ‘Fadeaway World’ Suggests
The Philadelphia 76ers are currently one of the top favorite NBA teams to fully dominate the LeBron-James-less Eastern Conference in the upcoming 2018-19 NBA season. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid continue to improve their game, and it will only be a matter of time before they become considered as legitimate superstars in the league. However, in order to increase their chance of beating other Eastern Conference powerhouse teams like the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors in a best-of-seven series, the Sixers should consider adding another quality player on their roster.
According to Fadeaway World, one of the potential trade targets for the Sixers is Jimmy Butler of the Minnesota Timberwolves. After suffering an early exit in the Western Conference Playoffs, Butler’s rumored dispute with his young teammates, specifically Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, started to circulate around the league. His decision to reject the contract extension offered by the Timberwolves heated up the speculations about his departure next summer.
If the Timberwolves will not get a commitment that Jimmy Butler intends to stay beyond the 2018-19 NBA season, trading him between now and the February NBA trade deadline will be their best option than losing him in the summer of 2019 as an unrestricted free agent without getting anything in return. Having a plethora of trade assets, Sixers will be an ideal trade partner with the Timberwolves for Butler.
“Fultz has a lot of potentials but won’t get any significant minutes playing behind the superior Ben Simmons. Trading Fultz and Covington to the Wolves for Butler and a 2nd round pick would give both teams what they want. Butler would be playing for a contender and would immediately make the East more interesting and the Wolves get a talented young point guard to feed the ball to Towns and Wiggins.”
Should the Lakers target Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler or Kawhi Leonard next summer? https://t.co/iYT5M3MoBq pic.twitter.com/24wCeX3N9V
— Silver Screen and Roll (@LakersSBN) September 4, 2018
In the proposed trade deal, the Sixers will be sending Robert Covington and Markelle Fultz to the Timberwolves for Jimmy Butler and a future second-round pick. The deal works on ESPN‘s NBA Trade Machine. If the trade becomes a reality, it will definitely benefit both the Sixers and the Timberwolves.
The Sixers will be acquiring a legitimate superstar who can increase their chance of becoming the new ruler of the Eastern Conference next season. Jimmy Butler will undeniably boost the Sixers’ performance on both ends of the floor. In 59 games he played with the Timberwolves last season, Butler averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.0 steals on 47.4 percent shooting from the field and 35.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, the deal will enable the Timberwolves to remain competitive despite losing Butler. Robert Covington will be replacing Butler in the wing, while Markelle Fultz will give the Timberwolves a young and promising point guard who fits the timeline of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
