NBA Rumors: Jimmy Butler Targeted By Nets For Kevin Durant Team-Up

Jimmy Butler 76ers Celtics — Jimmy Butler #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket on Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics during the first quarter of the game at TD Garden on December 25, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. Omar Rawlings/Getty Images

Philadelphia 76ers star Jimmy Butler may be wearing a Brooklyn Nets jersey next season as speculations of him being pursued by the Nets hits the NBA atmosphere. Butler now joins the party alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as not only top prospects in free agency but also the Nets' options as well.

After a devastating loss against the no. 2 seeded Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers star Jimmy Butler apparently gave fans some sort of a hint as to what could happen next between him and the Sixers, according to Bleacher Report. Butler’s short but moving message to his beloved 76ers fans via social media states his appreciation to Philly’s support during their rocky road playoffs battle with the Raptors.

Butler posted on his Instagram account, "To Philly. and my teammates. THANK YOU."

The 76ers fans took the message as Butler’s way of saying goodbye, fueling speculations that he is more likely to part ways with the team this summer.

Adding another twist to Butler’s message is the Brooklyn Nets, a team which is not so new to him. Dating back to the days when the four-time All-Star’s relationship with his former team, Minnesota Timberwolves, went around in circles, the Nets was said to be one of the teams who were contending to land Butler on their roster.

According to The New York Post, now that the Nets have become capable in terms of money, they also became one of the teams eyeing for top free agents this coming July. Sources also added that Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks is very likely to set their eyes on the two biggest names on the free agent list, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but this does not imply that Butler is just a fall-back plan in case neither of the two signs with the Nets.

Nets coach Kenny Atkinson spoke to ESPN and confidently said that they have great options, affirming that Marks did a fantastic job in creating cap space for the team. Atkinson revealed that the team has options A, B, C and D, with option A obviously pertaining to Durant. However, he did not drop names for options B, C and D.

With all this buzz generated by all the drama surrounding Butler’s message, two things are for certain. Butler still holds a $19.8 million option for the 2019-20 campaign and there are still more than enough time for him to make a decision.