It’s been years since the Philadelphia 76ers cut ties with Jimmy Butler, but the decision still hangs over the organization’s head.
As the Sixers approach the NBA Play-In Tournament to battle for the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed, the former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague claimed that the Sixers are disappointing and unlucky, primarily due to a “Jimmy Butler curse.”
The Club 520 crew debated the most disappointing team between the 76ers and the Orlando Magic. The Sixers have an expensive roster, which is top-heavy with stars.
The Magic invested in a blockbuster trade to pair Desmond Bane alongside their homegrown players in hopes of entering contention. Both teams dealt with injuries throughout the year. And ultimately, they were both extremely disappointing considering where they ended up.
For Teague, he had more to say about the Sixers.
Jeff Teague Calls Out The 76ers And The Jimmy Butler Curse
“They’re always disappointing,” Teague stated.
“Since Jimmy Butler left, they’ve been disappointing. I damn near feel like if you go to Philly, you’re going to get hurt. All of their best players—every time somebody goes to Philly it just like, gets bad. You know what? I think Jimmy Butler put the curse on Philly. When they didn’t pay him. Had it in Minnesota. I told him to take that s*** off. I got hurt–hurt my foot, take that off.”
Butler is one of the biggest “what-ifs” for Philly. What if the Sixers paid him and kept him around long-term? While Butler didn’t go to the Miami Heat and win a championship, he led them through two Eastern Conference Finals victories before coming up short on the NBA Finals stage.
The Sixers haven’t gotten past the second round since Butler and the team lost Game 7 against the Toronto Raptors in 2018.
What Happened With Jimmy Butler And The 76ers?
The Butler saga has different takes on it. The first time Butler told his side of the story, he hinted it was a personal decision on his behalf.
During an on-record discussion with current Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick, Butler revealed that “somebody” within the Sixers’ organization questioned whether they could control him. To Butler, that was a major turn-off. Also, he wasn’t fond of the head coach, Brett Brown. The star forward was ready to move on.
Over time, Butler made comments to suggest that the Sixers chose not to retain him. His famous “Tobias Harris over me?!” comment after defeating the Sixers in the playoffs a few years back fired up the narrative once again.
No matter what the story is, the fact of the matter is the 76ers haven’t been able to crack the code. They’ve taken big swings on star acquisitions beyond Butler in the trade market, and invested hundreds of millions in players through free agency, but nothing has worked out. Injuries are typically to blame.
The 76ers still have a chance to make something happen this season, but they have more doubters than anything.