The Philadelphia 76ers could lose both Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris in free agency this summer, but the team is “privately expressing confidence” that it can re-sign both players, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets are also pushing for Butler and are reportedly willing to deal away Clint Capela, Eric Gordon and PJ Tucker in order clear cap space.
As Wojnarowski previously noted, the 76ers can offer a five-year, $190 million contract while the Rockets would only be able to give him $140 million over four years.
Considering Houston has been in title contention over the past two years with the current roster, losing its supporting cast without securing a commitment from Butler appears to be a significant risk.
Meanwhile, the 76ers are confident they can keep both players they acquired through trades last season.
Butler joined the team in November, averaging 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 55 games while playing quality perimeter defense. Harris only played 27 contests with the team after a February deadline trade, but he averaged 18.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
The hope was these two players would push Philadelphia over the hump in the Eastern Conference, but the squad was eliminated in the second round for the second year in a row.
Still, the Sixers took the eventual champion Toronto Raptors to seven games before a Kawhi Leonard miracle shot ended their season. With the same players over a full year, this could be a title contender in 2019-20.
It will be up to Harris and Butler to decide if they want to run it back next season.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
