Jimmy Butler Rumors: Star Declined $190M 76ers Max Contract Before Heat Trade

The Philadelphia 76ers weren't able to re-sign Jimmy Butler in free agency, but it wasn't because they didn't try to.

According to Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports, the 76ers offered Butler a five-year, $190 million max contract, but he turned it down in order to take a four-year, $141 million deal from the Miami Heat.

Philadelphia received Josh Richardson as part of the sign-and-trade that sent Butler to Miami.

The Sixers also agreed to re-sign Tobias Harris to a five-year, $180 million deal before adding veteran Al Horford on a four-year deal worth up to $109 million, via NBA.com.

Pairing Harris, Horford and Richardson with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons should allow the Sixers to once again be a top contender in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Butler gets a chance at a fresh start and the opportunity to be the go-to option on his team.

The past two years with Philadelphia and the Minnesota Timberwolves didn't seem to go as planned for Butler. The 29-year-old was forced to share the spotlight and offensive touches with other top players. In Miami, he will replace Dwyane Wade as the face of the franchise and could once again put up big numbers.

That could be worth the pay cut for him to leave Philadelphia.