Jimmy Butler's play in this series is a reminder of what the Philadelphia 76ers could have been

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There will be many decisions to revisit when the definitive history of the Process-Era Philadelphia 76ers is written. It is not possible to know which were the most consequential without the benefit of hindsight.

It is impossible to watch what Jimmy Butler did to the 76ers Tuesday night in the Miami Heat 120-85 win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals and not wonder how different the NBA would look had the 76ers retained him in the summer of 2019.

In the fall of 2015, the Philadelphia 76ers traded for a player named Jimmy Butler in hopes that his competitive spirit and veteran savvy would help take their young superstars, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, to the next level.

It didn't go as planned. Simmons became upset by the leadership style of Butler, who befriended and remained friends with Embiid.

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The ball in their hands made them fight each other. According to team sources, the organization chose Simmons because it felt it needed to choose between them. At the time, he seemed to have a higher ceiling. He wasn't due for a big free-agent contract, but he was still on a rookies-scale deal. Many organizations would do the same.

The choice has aged well because of how Simmons' career has deteriorated in the past two years and how well the Heat has played for him since it invested in him with two separate eight-figure contracts.

"He's a great competitor at his core, and he did a great job against the 76ers on Tuesday," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

When you enter a competition, he understands that you have to do it both ways. He is able to compete with an incredibly stable mind. When it gets the craziest, he is locked in on making sure that it is a winning basketball team.

Miami was interested in Butler as he was about to go to free agency. While other teams worried about how his body might age or whether his personality would fit within their organizational cultures, the Heat saw a perfect fit for their style and have been rewarded for their belief with a Finals appearance in 2020 and the top seed in the Eastern Conference this season.

In this series, Miami has been able to rely on his two-way brilliance. He added playmaking responsibilities with Kyle missing three of the five games.

In his 10th playoff game with the Heat, he had 20 points, 5 rebound, and 5 assists. He is the third player in Heat history to reach the total.

If an alternate set of decisions had been made in this series, it would still be his teammate.

After a report that Simmons felt his partnership with Embiid had run its course, the 76ers star admitted to being frustrated and regretful of the choice he made to let Butler go.

I still think it was a mistake to get rid of Jimmy because he needed the ball in his hands. It is surprising.

With the Philadelphia 76ers facing elimination and the possibility of wasting another year of Embiid's prime, it's a question that hangs over both the series and the organization.

The NBA would look different if the 76ers had picked Simmons. They could have kept both and forced them to coexist after the Game 7 loss.

They have been talking a lot and staying close to each other. They don't reveal it on social media or on the record. In an interview with ESPN in December 2020, Embiid said he and Butler watch and critique each other's games and performances.

He was always telling me to be more aggressive. You need to be aggressive. You guys are not going to win if you are not aggressive.

You need to want the ball, you need to command it, and they need to give it to you. You have to have that mentality. You have to lead those guys.

It was the message that Embiid needed to hear as he evolved into a candidate for the NBA's Most Valuable Player award.

Instead of delivering that kind of message to him on the bench or in the locker room, he has been delivering the hammer for the Heat.

I talk to Jo every day. That is my guy even before this series. It is a privilege to play against him. To be on the same team with him, as I was in the past, but you want to be able to play against the best, and have an opportunity to beat the best. For years to come, hold that over one another's head. That is still going to be my guy after basketball.