Report: Jimmy Butler will withdraw from the 76ers contract; Lakers have a real interest | Bleacher's report

As expected, star wing Jimmy Butler will decline his $ 19.8 million player option for the 2019-2020 season and will be presented to the free agency, by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

Haynes said "the Sixers were prepared for this decision," adding that the Los Angeles Lakers "had a genuine interest" in Butler.

The trip at the moment was difficult for Butler, who began his career with the Chicago Bulls before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves before the 2017-18 season.

Butler was excellent for Minny that year, averaging 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.0 flights per game, while shooting 47.4% on the field and 35. , 0% against three. It appeared that he would play a long-term role alongside superstar Karl-Anthony Towns and small striker Andrew Wiggins.

But things collapsed before the 2018-19 season. Butler rejected The offer of $ 110 million over four years of Minnesota in July, ostensibly seeking a supermax contract to which he would be eligible after the season. He then submitted a request for exchange, which became a simple a public circus.

Butler has never been jetted with Towns or Wiggins, that he would have considered to be too soft and not enough worker to his liking. And although Butler is a two-way star, neither Towns nor Wiggins ever became solid on the defensive side, which may have been another topic of contention for Butler.

His stay in Minnesota ended in early November, when he was transferred to the Sixers to join Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, a younger, more talented couple than the Towns and Wiggins duo, and certainly more tenacious on the defensive.

The Sixers then doubled their 2018-1919 season, adding Tobias Harris to the NBA trade deadline.

There were some concerns regarding the spacing of the team 's floors with Butler, but also questions about how Embiid, Simmons, Butler and Harris would coexist, given that it does not exist. There are very few shots to shoot. The combination was finally enough for the sixth-seeded Sixers of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

In Butler, the Sixers finally had a perimeter player able to create their own offensive, making them a valuable player closer and a reliable option in both isolation and pick-and-roll. His balloon defense was also welcomed in Philadelphia.

The Sixers are committed to Embiid and Simmons for the foreseeable future and have enough space to keep Butler and Harris. But Butler's return remains in the air, and he will surely be a coveted independent player for teams looking to modernize.