Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid during 2019 ECF
In the days leading up to the start of the 2018-19 NBA season, it was a whole lot of drama. The Minnesota Timberwolves and their disgruntled star Jimmy Butler were at the forefront of things.
Butler was refusing to play for the team. He was publicly ripping into the front office, as well as some of the players. There were claims made that they could not win without him. An infamous scrimmage took place where Butler teamed up with Minnesota’ third-stringers and beat everybody else. A regaling of the tale from the perspective of the team’s center Karl-Anthony Towns is below.
Today, November 12, 2025, marks seven years since the Philadelphia 76ers took a swing and traded for Jimmy Butler. The team shipped out Dario Šarić and Robert Covington, along with a second-round pick to acquire the All-Star.
Let’s revisit the deal, and how it changed things for Philly.
The Jimmy Butler 76ers Era
As soon as Jimmy Butler arrived in Philadelphia, the expectations for the team became title or bust. He was teaming with an emerging Ben Simmons, along with MVP-caliber big man Joel Embiid. JJ Redick was in the fold as one of the best shooters in the league.
In just his third game with the team, Butler spoiled Kemba Walker’s 60-point night by sinking a three-pointer in the waning moments of the game. It was the start of what seemed to be a special year to come for these Sixers.
Butler looked good here. He brought buckets and late-game heroics. He seemed to gel with Embiid and co.
The team also went out and acquired Tobias Harris at the trade deadline. The wins were there. They went 35-20 after the Butler trade & continued things in the later part of the year.
After defeating the upstart Brooklyn Nets in five games in round one, the Toronto Raptors awaited. And a series that would be remembered for the years to come took place.
The Infamous End to the Jimmy Butler Sixers Era
The 76ers and Raptors were as even as can be. And then the series came down to the last shot in Game 7. The inbounds pass went to Kawhi Leonard. He was able to get to his spot and fire up a shot just before the buzzer. What happened next is something that has been played thousands upon thousands of times.
Leonard got a fortunate bounce after the ball went in-and-out of the rim again and again. He finished the game with 41 points (15 in the fourth), and helped Toronto to the ECF. This sent Jimmy Butler and the Sixers home empty-handed, short of their goal.
The first game-winning buzzer-beater in Game 7 history.
Butler did what he could in Game 7, scoring 10 of his 16 points in the fourth. Embiid and Tobias Harris added double-doubles. But that was it.
Once the season ended for Philly, everything unfolded horribly wrong. They opted first, to extend Harris for five years and $180 million. They did not offer Butler a max extension.
There were problems with Butler and Head Coach Brett Brown throughout his tenure. The Philly star was challenging his coach about his role in the offense, and how things were run.
A four-team trade would trade the embattled 76er over to the Miami Heat. He helped take them to a pair of NBA Finals during his run.
Meanwhile, Philly still hasn’t made the conference finals since the Allen Iverson-led group reached the 2001 NBA Finals.
The trade for Butler is a move that will always be looked back on dissected. Seven years to the day it first happened, it’s still discussed.