The Philadelphia 76ers have been a team on the rise. After last year's playoff appearance and first round victory, the expectations were high for Philadelphia to compete in the LeBron-less Eastern Conference. But even with the addition of superstar Jimmy Butler, the 76ers still face an uphill battle in their conference. Jimmy Butler's trade came somewhat out of the blue. He requested a trade prior to the season, but the Minnesota Timberwolves seemed content holding on to him until the right offer came along. Minnesota reportedly rejected separate offers from the Houston Rockets: one including a whopping FOUR first-round draft picks and one packaging Eric Gordon and Nene with two first-rounders. Instead, the 76ers acquired him early on Saturday afternoon. The trade also brought PG Landry Shamet to Philadelphia, while the Sixers shipped out two starters: Robert Covington and Dario Sarcic. This leads us to the first reason the Butler trade won't put Philly ov...
by Billy Sakmann, B.S. Sports Management '17