As the rivalry between the Heat and the 76ers again takes the postseason stage, an individual rivalry rises to the top of the mind. With Philadelphia hosting Miami in the 7-vs-8 Play-In Tournament game, plenty of eyes will be on the performance of each team's starting forward.
Two years ago, the Heat eliminated the 76ers in Game 6 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals. As Jimmy Butler walked to the visiting locker room, he yelled four that boomed through the halls of the Wells Fargo Center.
"Tobias Harris over me?" Butler repeated after the series win.
A known ruthless competitor, "Playoff Jimmy" sent a direct shot at his former Sixers teammate, insinuating that the franchise made a mistake by electing to retain Harris instead of Butler, both of whom were free agents in 2019.
While Butler's words may have cut deep, are they true? Did Philadelphia elect to re-sign Harris instead of Butler? Here's a look back at how free agency played out in 2019.
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Did the 76ers choose Tobias Harris over Jimmy Butler?
The complete answer to whether or not the 76ers chose Harris over Butler does not just pertain to Harris — it involves Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson, and Al Horford.
Here's how everything came to be.
On Nov. 10, 2018, the 76ers acquired Butler, an impending free agent, from the Timberwolves in a blockbuster deal. The addition of Butler was a major splash for a young 76ers team that was headlined by Joel Embiid, J.J. Redick, and Simmons.
Ahead of the trade deadline, the Sixers acquired another impending free agent in Harris, who was in the midst of a career year with averages of 20.9 points and 7.9 rebounds with the Clippers.
After acquiring Harris, Philadelphia jumped from fifth to third in the East, finishing the season with a 51-31 record before ultimately losing to Toronto in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. As the final buzzer sounded in Game 7, the timer for free agency unofficially began.
When free agency officially opened, the 76ers organization felt it had to choose between a 30-year-old Butler and a 23-year-old Simmons, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
Both needed the ball in their hands, which pitted them against each other. Eventually it got to the point the organization felt it needed to choose between them, according to team sources, and it chose Simmons.
As such, the Sixers pivoted away from Butler.
Philadelphia's 2019 offseason saw Simmons receive a five-year, $177.2 million max-scale rookie extension while Harris re-signed on a five-year, $180 million contract.
As part of a sign-and-trade agreement, Butler was moved to the Heat on a four-year maximum deal worth $140.8 million. In return, the Sixers acquired Richardson, who was set to earn $9.5 million in the upcoming season.
After the trade, the Sixers signed Horford to a four-year $109 million deal, with $97 million guaranteed.
So, instead of choosing Butler, the Sixers chose Simmons. And with Simmons came the choices of Harris, Richardson, and Horford. Four years later, Simmons is in Brooklyn, Richardson is back in Miami, and Horford is back in Boston — that trio played a total of 39 games together with the Sixers.
Simply put, the only "choice" that remains with the Sixers is Harris, and as a result, Butler can easily point to Harris each time he's in Philadelphia.
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Jimmy Butler Heat contract, stats
All salary figures via Spotrac.
To illustrate how quickly time flies, Butler is finishing up the first year of a three-year contract extension he signed with Miami in 2021. He has a player option for the 2025-26 season.
| Year | Salary |
| 2023-24 | $45,183,960 |
| 2024-25 | $48,798,677 |
| 2025-26 | $52,413,394 (PO) |
| 2026 | UFA |
Since joining the Heat, Butler has made two All-Star appearances, earned three All-NBA selections, and led the franchise to three Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023 when he was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
Ahead of the 2023 NBA Finals, Butler expressed gratitude for the city of Miami and the organization, saying "They deserve to be in the Finals."
Jimmy Butler Heat stats
- 21.3 points per game
- 6.1 rebounds per game
- 5.7 assists per game
- 1.7 steals per game
- 1.9 turnovers per game
- 49.6 percent field goal shooting
- 30.3 percent 3-point shooting
- 85.4 percent free throw shooting
Tobias Harris 76ers contract, stats
Harris is in the final year of the five-year deal he signed in the offseason of 2019. He will become an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason.
| Year | Salary |
| 2023-24 | $39,270,150 |
| 2024-25 | UFA |
The 76ers have advanced to the postseason in each of the first four seasons since Harris re-signed in 2019, losing in the first round in 2020 and losing in the Conference Semifinals in each of the next three seasons, including the 2022 loss to Butler and the Heat.
Harris has been subjected to plenty of trade speculation during his time in Philadelphia and as the 2023 offseason got underway, addressed it by saying, "Casual Sixers fans, they'll trade me for a Crumbl cookie. But at the end of the day, they have to realize, like, you're not getting a 6-9 forward back who can damn near shoot 40 percent from 3, guard other teams' best player, shoot, post-up, drive and play 70-plus games a year."
Tobias Harris 76ers stats
- 17.6 points per game
- 6.6 rebounds per game
- 3.1 assists per game
- 0.8 steals per game
- 1.5 turnovers per game
- 48.8 percent field goal shooting
- 36.9 percent 3-point shooting
- 85.6 percent free throw shooting
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