Grade the Trade: Heat give up Jimmy Butler in multi-team for new star

Jimmy Butler's time with the Miami Heat might be up. Does getting Donovan Mitchell still make sense?

Cleveland Cavaliers v Miami Heat
Cleveland Cavaliers v Miami Heat | Rich Storry/GettyImages
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Jimmy Butler
Philadelphia 76ers v Orlando Magic | Don Juan Moore/GettyImages

Why the Philadelphia 76ers would do this

We've seen the Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid movie before. 2019 was Embiid's best shot at a conference finals appearance, as the Sixers trotted out lineups full of star power surrounding the two alphas. Pairing them together again would signal two things. The Sixers are going all in to capitalize on Embiid's talents and move into championship-or-bust mode.

A move like this is putting all your chips on the table. If this roster plus Jimmy Butler can't get it done in the postseason, then it would be time to play this whole thing up in Philly. This isn't 2019, though, as Philly has a budding superstar in Tyrese Maxey. Maxey averaged 30 points and seven assists while shooting 40% on nine 3-point attempts per game in the postseason. He's arrived; adding Butler to the party shows how serious the franchise is.

Trade grade for the 76ers: A

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