The Philadelphia 76ers are converting the two-way contract of fourth-year guard Jared Butler into a two-year standard deal, sources informed ESPN’s Shams Charania on Thursday.
76ers Acquired Jared Butler From The Wizards Before Last Week’s NBA Trade Deadline
Butler, 24, joined the Sixers last week, alongside four future second-round draft picks, in the trade that sent Reggie Jackson and a conditional 2026 first-round pick to the Washington Wizards.
Butler had appeared in 32 games for Washington in a reserve role, averaging 6.9 points, 2.6 assists, and 11.3 minutes per game while shooting 48.3% from the field and 36.6% from 3-point territory.
Philadelphia’s injury-plagued roster has led to a bigger role for Butler. In three games (one start) with the Sixers, he’s averaging 10 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 17 minutes per contest.
The Philadelphia 76ers are converting two-way guard Jared Butler to a standard two-year NBA contract, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports told ESPN. Butler has averaged 10 points, 4.7 assists and 17.1 minutes over 3 games since joining the 76ers via trade last week. pic.twitter.com/POqwfOnozw
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 13, 2025
Although the 76ers have been the NBA’s most disappointing team this season, their young rotation players could become breakout stars in the future. First-round pick Jared McCain was a contender for NBA Rookie of the Year before suffering a season-ending torn meniscus.
Guerschon Yabusele has been the most underrated signing of the 2024 offseason. He’s averaging career highs of 11.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 26.7 minutes per game this season.
In addition, undrafted rookie Justin Edwards has emerged as a reliable option in the frontcourt. Deadline acquisitions like Butler and Quentin Grimes are surprising fans as well.
Should The Sixers Build Around Tyrese Maxey?
Throughout parts of the season, Philadelphia’s All-Star trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey was sidelined. All three Sixers combined have $164.21 million worth of salaries — that’s approximately 88.58% of the organization’s payroll, according to HoopsHype.
In September, Embiid signed a three-year, $192.9 million contract extension that guarantees the former MVP a total of $299.5 million through the 2028-29 season.
Embiid also declined his $59 million player option for the 2026-27 season prior to inking the new contract extension. He will earn $69 million in the final year of the new deal, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
George, who left the Los Angeles Clippers during the offseason, agreed to a four-year, $212 million contract with Philadelphia. Maxey inked a five-year, $204 million maximum contract extension in July.
Out of the Sixers’ three highest-paid stars, Maxey has been the most reliable, having missed just eight games this season. Embiid has missed several games because of a three-game suspension and left knee injury management.
This could potentially be Embiid’s last season in a Sixers uniform.
George has been just as disappointing, missing a total of 19 games so far. In addition to missing games due to a left knee bone bruise, he’s averaging only 16.1 points per contest in 35 games (all starts).
The 76ers will likely miss the playoffs this season if Embiid and George cannot share the court consistently game after game due to injuries and a back-to-back restriction.
Even when George is available, he hasn’t been the same player with the Sixers. While injuries and losses may have derailed this campaign, at least Philadelphia has found a few complementary role players for next season.
