Jimmy Butler Opens up on his Philadelphia 76ers Tenure

Jimmy Butler gives his thoughts on his brief stint with the Sixers.

Mar 17, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) as a time out is called against the Denver Nuggets during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Among the many All-Star-level players moved at this year's trade deadline was former Philadelphia 76ers forward Jimmy Butler. As he continues this new chapter of his career, he opened up on all his previous stops in the NBA.

Butler's time in Philly ended up being brief, not even playing a full season with the franchise. He came over early on during the 2018-19 season following an ugly fallout with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Upon joining the Sixers, he formed a new big three with a pair of rising stars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

Adding Butler was one of numerous the Sixers made that season in an attempt to compete for an NBA championship. They later traded for Tobias Harris, forming what many considered one of the league's best starting fives. These all-in moves didn't yield the dividends the Sixers wanted, as they ended up being eliminated by the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the playoffs.

May 12, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jimmy Butler (23) dribbles the ball against Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) in game seven of the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

During a recent interview with The Athletic, Butler touched on all his previous stops before winding up on the Golden State Warriors. While reflecting on his Sixers tenure, he cited a lack of accountability and an inability to take proper criticism.

“You got to be able to talk to everybody,” Butler said. “As long as it was in the right direction toward winning, it shouldn’t matter how it comes across. It’s not that there’s malicious intent about it. You had some differences between players and coaches. You had some differences between players and players. And it was just, I mean, you kind of couldn’t talk to nobody.”

Having been traded again following a drama-filled departure, Butler will now attempt to compete for an NBA title alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green on the Warriors.