Sources: Butler still Moreys MAIN target this summer/MDAs seat getting hot

Butler can get:
1) 5yr Max from Philly. (Seems unlikely to me)

2) Can get a 4yr Max from another team (LAL, BKN etc)

3) Opt in, get his *current salary* this year, PLUS get traded to Houston with wink/wink 4yr Max on the table after this season (ala CP3). This 4yr Max would be with maximum raises (since they have bird rights) and the infamous *no state income tax* that other team's can't offer.

 

If the 5 year max is off the table it because viable, but still, he has to have some concerns about getting hurt if he opts in. He feels like he got screwed by two organizations already. It's hard to imagine him "trusting" another one.

 

IMO Philly does not offer the 5yr max. And yes, *trust* is an issue. But the advantage the Rockets have is they have SHOWN the good faith via CP3, the head of the players association. The Rockets not only can say they *will* do something, but they proved it already. To me that is not insignificant.

All of that said, there is a lot of logistics here. So it is still unlikely. But the *mechanism* to do it is there. That is something. Not just a pipedream.

 

One benefit of re-upping CP3 is that Butler can be confident that we will make him whole next year. Agreed that this scenario is still unlikely though

 

I agree it isn't a pipedream I just think it's unlikely.

 

I don't think getting rid of MDA is smart. The Rockets have had terrible coaches since the Rudy T era. We all know Rudy T wasn't a strategic type of coach but was perfect for the Clutch City era Rockets. McHale was an absolute disaster and made no sense for such an analytical advanced team like our Rockets. Keep MDA and put a plan in place for the post season adjustments. Seems like we were in position to win almost every game but we didn't hit the shots when we needed to. We would be making changes just to make changes.

 

In the end i think everyone should always keep their expectations in check cause a big signing/trade is never likely to happen.

Personally i have a feeling that something has been going on with Butler and the Rockets behind the scenes from some months now, so, i like to think there's a good chance it can happen, but i obviously wouldn't bet on it, also cause there's still a third part that would've to be involved eventually.

 

JVG and Adelman were terrible coaches?

 

A complicated deal like an opt-in-and-trade requires three parties to benefit. IMO, a Butler deal satisfies this condition.

Houston perspective:
We get Jimmy Buckets, a third star that fits our offensive scheme and adds a level of intensity that this team needs in crunch time situations. Easy win here.

We'd have to trade Gordon or Capela to get Butler (or the assets to get him), with the MLE to replace either.

If you trade Gordon, then you use the MLE on Rivers or Reddick (long-shot) and go to war
If you trade Capela, you use the MLE on DAJ (long-shot), Dedmon, O'Quinn, Portis, or another big

Philly perspective:
I can't imagine that Philly traded all those assets for Tobias and Butler to let them both go in free agency. Toby is younger (26) and is a more seamless fit with their other stars. If Butler wants out, Philly might as well get some compensation for him.

Looking at their salary obligations next year (~$67 MM with Embiid, B. Simmons, J. Simmons $1 MM guarantee, Smith, Ennis, Bolden, Harris and McConnell cap holds), Philly could very well add another max player if Butler is gone and they don't add incremental salary.

A pick + a max salary FA like Middleton is a helluva consolation prize if Philly doesn't want to give Jimmy the 5th year. Even if they add a player around $14 MM, they'd have over $25 MM to play with in free agency.

Because of this, I think that we have two packages that would interest Philly in a Butler opt-in and trade

1. Gordon+1st (+Nene who would immediately retire)
2. Capela to a third team, who would send a mid- to late-lottery pick to Philly

Deal #1 would give them a solid Reddick replacement, while allowing them to get a major FA piece. #2 would get them an even better pick and free up more space for them to play in free agency (could re-sign Reddick for $14 MM and then get another major FA piece).

Jimmy perspective:

Benefits:

• Gets to play near home
• Wants his team/family to be happy
• On a team with clear championship aspirations
• Can get a 4/5-year max with max raises (benefit of doing right by CP3)
• Playing in a PnR-heavy system tailored to his strengths and preferences
• Not playing under Brett Brown, who ran a motion offense that Jimmy wasn't a fan of

Risks:

• Houston is not Tomball
• Pushing off his big payday one more year

This would require Jimmy to want to be here, and to trust us to make him whole next year. If you get his buy-in here, then we can get this done.

 

Unfortunately, Butler opting in and forcing a trade to Houston makes too much sense to me and therefore will not happen.

 

@joshuaao in the end it's really on Butler, if he wants to be here he'll be here, for a simple reason, the Sixers won't be able to use that cap space on a top free agent.

Middleton is not leaving the Bucks, Giannis and some money to play with Embiid, he might do that to play with Kawhi in L.A or with Durant in NY, but not to play with Embiid in Phila imo.

So, unless they can sign Kawhi or Durant, there's not a player as good as Gordon they can get if Butler bolts (and this is why i think they overpaid for Harris, they probably knew this), and Eric is basically a lesser Butler, plays the same spots, and i actually think he would fit better there, especially with Simmons since he doesn't require the ball in his hands as much as Jimmy.

Another aspect the Sixers might consider is that Gordon will be way cheaper to resign, they could really use the cap space to make the roster deeper and boost the bench, sign a solid 3&D, resign Redick and McConnell...like:

Embiid/Nene and/or Boban
Harris/Bolden
Ariza (or Danny Green)/Zaire Smith
Gordon/Redick
Simmons/McConnell

This would be a good way to take advantage of a Butler opt in trade imo.

 

A 6'8 shooting guard who can play lock down defense, shoot and make his own shot sometimes? Yes, please. EG is great but he isn't tall enough to start finish against Klay Thompson or Iguodala. Sorry EG we love you but . . .

 

CP3, EGo & Capela to LA for the #4 pick

 

Lol we ain’t getting Jimmy. No money

 

Barkley says hi.

 

Kinda sounds like Lebron all over again …. I believed that was possible and thought he might consider it being how good they could have been.


Lebron didn't do it , I don't expect Butler will either.

The only 2 yard line this gets to is the one 98 yards from pay dirt.


Water is wet , the Rockets chase stars ….

 

Time to ease up on the ipa, man.

 

Says the guy with Jimmy Buckets as his avatar.

 

Butler's order of preference, to me, would be:

1. Sixers. They can offer the most money. If they do, I don't know why he wouldn't sign that.
2. Knicks/Nets. Knicks with other stars. Nets if not. He's an eastern conference player. He's a junkyard dog mentality that strives a big media market spotlight and frankly would do well within it.
3. Clippers. Same thing about big media market.
4. Lakers. Same thing about big media market. May shy away from the Lebron pairing, but if there is any personality that won't back down from a Lebron locker room (even if its classic passive aggressive Lebron), it's Jimmy.
5. Rockets, or others.

I have yet to see any legit, serious argument for why he'd want to be here, other than that he grew up in Tomball.

 

Aren't Butler and Harden buds?

Not like "mates", as in Australian lingo, i.e., the guy saying to Wally, "I thought you and Dundee were mates." But friends? (That didn't get us an audience with KD, either, even if true, but still.)