Jared Butler is leaving the Sixers to sign a one-year deal with the Phoenix Suns, according to a report from Shams Charania of ESPN:
Butler, 24, played in 28 games (17 starts) for the Sixers last season after being acquired at the trade deadline and converted from a two-way contract to a standard deal. The Sixers declined his $2.3 million team option days before free agency opened, which did not firmly close the door on a return but made it far less likely that he would be back. When the team re-signed Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon, though, it became incredibly difficult to imagine Butler returning.
The Sixers acquired Butler from the Washington Wizards alongside four second-round picks in exchange for Reggie Jackson and a first-round pick. It was nice to shed Jackson's salary and replace him with a younger, more productive point guard in Butler, but the deal was primarily about the picks -- the Sixers flipped the lowest-upside first-rounder imaginable for four second-rounders with some genuine value:
| Sixers receive... | Wizards receive... |
| Jared Butler | Reggie Jackson |
| 2027 second-round pick (more favorable of GSW/PHX) | 2026 first-round pick (least favorable of OKC/HOU/LAC) |
| 2028 second-round pick via GSW | |
| 2030 second-round pick (more favorable of POR/PHX) | |
| 2030 second-round pick via WAS |
Butler, who averaged 11.5 points and 4.9 assists per game with the Sixers, provided some value to the organization, even in losing efforts. His traditional point guard skillset helped keep the team organized amid constant injuries, back-end roster shuffles and hardship exception signings. Now, Butler has a new home.
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