The Jimmy Butler trade to the Philadelphia 76ers has sent shockwaves through the NBA and it’s left the Sixers as arguably the odds-on favorite to win this year’s Eastern Conference Final and giving them an opportunity to win a Championship.
However, the 76ers may not be done yet when it comes to making bold trades, the team could still make another big move to try and bring in another star such as Kyrie Irving. Kyrie has made it known that he’s quite happy in Boston but as a Free Agent in the summer of 2019 and if the 76ers can free up enough space then we could see Irving make the move to Philly.
It’s no secret that Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler want to play together on an East team and now that Butler has made the move to the Sixers, there’s every chance that Irving may do the same depending on how the rest of the season plays out. If the Celtics fall short yet again in the postseason this year and miss out on a Finals appearance, then Kyrie may feel that leaving Boston for Philadelphia is the best move for his career.
However, it’s vital for the 76ers to free up salary cap space so that they could bring in Irving to an already strong lineup. Markell Fultz has become a hot topic of discussion as his place in the side now looks questionable with the Butler addition. The potential is there to trade Fultz, so the Sixers have enough money to spend on another star like Kyrie.
Like I said yesterday, Philadelphia Sixers have a strong reason to trade Markelle Fultz.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported that if the 76ers decide to let all their free agents walk out of the club, not including Jimmy Butler and TJ McConnell, then the team could have up to $20 million in cap space that would allow them to sign yet another star player which would help build arguably the best starting line up in the East.
Including the $30.7M Jimmy Butler free agent hold, Philadelphia will have roughly $21M in cap space for 2019-20. The room includes renouncing all free agents except for Butler and TJ McConnell. The 76ers would be close to adding another max slot if they find a home for former first overall pick Markelle Fultz.
Both Butler and Irving would still need to possibly take a little bit of a pay cut for the two of them to play on the same team. It’s a small sacrifice for what could be a massive reward with this new 76ers team having the ability to go head to head with a team like the Golden State Warriors in the Finals.
For now, the Sixers will settle with the big three of Butler, Simmons and Embiid, with high expectations of going far in this year’s postseason.
