What is Fultz’s realistic place on a title-contending team? by Brad Botkin 2m ago • 4 min read Well, it happened. As first reported by Shams Charania and John Krawczynski of The Athletic, Jimmy Butler has been traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, who also get Justin Patton in the deal while second Dario Saric, Robert Covington and a future second-round pick back to Minnesota. In the coming days, there are going to be a lot of questions being asked. Who won the deal? What does this deal mean for the Wolves’ future? Does this make the Sixers a title contender? To me, you can’t even start to answer that last question until you face the reality of a different one. Where does Markelle Fultz fit in to all this? It’s fair to say the Sixers are officially in the title business. Whether you think this makes them a legit contender is up to you, but you can bet they see themselves that way. There are reports that this deal was done with the intention of the Sixers and Butler coming to a long-term agreement, but that’s speculation at this point. All the Sixers know for sure right now is they have Butler for the rest of this season, and they have to make the most of it. The development of Fultz has been a priority from the start this season. The Sixers moved him into the starting lineup, busting up the best starting five in the league last season by… [Read full story]
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