The 76ers went hunting for a superstar in the offseason and landed Paul George, who signed a massive four-year, $212 million deal with the franchise. His addition to a roster that already boasted Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, who also signed extensions, has made them one of the preseason favorites to win the title. However, Gilbert Arenas believes Philadelphia signed the wrong superstar.
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On the Gil’s Arena podcast, the former Wizards star claimed that the team would’ve already won the title had they not let Jimmy Butler leave in the 2019 offseason. He argued that the veteran guard would’ve been a better fit on the roster and would’ve led the franchise to at least one title in the last five years. Arenas said,
“If Jimmy Butler was still there, if they never got rid of Jimmy Butler and they got rid of the coach, which they end up doing, they would have won a championship by now… He got Embiid, like Embiid is the lead dog and Jimmy Butler is motherf**king is in side, oh my god!”
The 76ers traded for Butler during the 2018-19 season and former a Big 4, featuring him, Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris. They made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they were eliminated after Kawhi Leonard hit a game-winning buzzer-beater in Game 7 for the eventual champions Raptors.
The 76ers could only retain Butler or Harris due to salary cap constraints and opted to offer an extension to the latter. The guard joined the Heat and led them to two NBA Finals despite not having a superstar teammate. On the flip side, the 76ers overhauled their roster several times in the subsequent five seasons and failed to make it past the second round.
Arenas claimed that Philadelphia made a massive error in judgment in retaining Harris over Butler. He argued that the veteran guard’s ability to take over games late in the fourth quarter would’ve helped the 76ers end their championship drought. He said,
“The last five minutes of the game, one turns into a demon. Great shots all the time, and he just has a will to win.”
He added that unlike Butler, who built notoriety with his exceptional playoff performances, George lacked the instinct to put the team on his back and lead them to victories.
Both players joined new teams in the 2019 offseason. The guard signed with the Heat, while the forward was traded to the Clippers. Since then, Butler has been healthier and performed better in the playoffs than George, despite not having superstar teammates like Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
Over the last five seasons, the guard has averaged 24.7 points on 47.5% shooting from the field, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in 64 playoff appearances. In that same span, the forward has played only 38 playoff games, putting up 23.4 points on 42.3% shooting, eight rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game.
Despite the number backing Arenas’ take, Rashad McCants disagreed with his take.
Rashad McCants claims Jimmy Butler ghosts in NBA Finals
The former Timberwolves star argued that Butler lacks the killer instinct to become an NBA champion and cited the Heat’s series loss in the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023 as proof of his claim. He said,
“They lost to Denver Nuggets [in the 2023 NBA Finals]. What was that series? 4-1 to Denver Nuggets. At the time I was a fan. Confidence nowhere to be found, no demon Jimmy, all that s**t y’all talking was completely out of here.. You did all this to get us here and then you disappeared.”
Butler did suffer a dip in production in the Finals against the Nuggets. He averaged 21.6 points on 41.3% shooting, 6.4 assists, and 4.6 rebounds in a comfortable 4-1 series win for Denver.
However, his performance leading up to the championship series was otherworldly. He put up 28.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 18 games against the Bucks, Knicks, and Celtics in the first three rounds, helping the Heat become only the second eighth-seed in NBA history to reach the Finals.
McCants’ claim about Butler’s poor number in the Finals is factually correct. However, it’s disingenuous to discredit his performances in the lead-up to the series against the Nuggets.
