How 76ers' post-Jimmy Butler trade Big Three compares to Warriors'

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The concept of a Big Three in the NBA is nothing new.

That doesn't mean everyone isn't still looking for their own version to take them over the top, and to take down the Warriors.

Now, there's a new one in Philadelphia. The 76ers have trusted the process long enough. They're ready to compete for a title, and they proved that Saturday with the first blockbuster trade of the early NBA season. 

The 76ers are set to acquire four-time All-Star Jimmy Butler in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to multiple national reports. Philadelphia now will have its own Big Three of Butler, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. 

You don't make this move without the Warriors in mind. Any big move in the NBA is to eventually dethrone the Warriors and make sure there's no three-peat in Oakland this season. 

That being said, how does the 76ers' new Big Three stack up against the Warriors' Big Three of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson? Remember, that excludes the best defensive player in the NBA, Draymond Green, and four-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, who is recovering from injury. 

Through 12 games, the Warriors' Big Three is averaging 77.1 points per game. The 76ers' new trio, however, is averaging just 64.9 points per game. That has plenty to do with Simmons' poor shooting, who currently ranks third on the 76ers at 14.8 points per game without Butler on the roster. 

In a league where the 3-point shot isn't the cherry on top anymore but now the norm, Simmons is an outlier. The 6-foot-10 point guard hasn't made one shot from beyond the arc this season. He hasn't even attempted one. 

Curry, on the other hand, is attempting 10.5 3-pointers per game while making 5.2. He leads the NBA in 3-pointers made per game, and his 62 total are 13 more than Kemba Walker, who sits in second place.

Durant and Thompson are having down years from deep, but the two still combine to make 3.9 3-pointers per game, putting the trio at 9.1 per game. Adding up Simmons' zero, plus Butler (1.7) and Embiid (1.2), Philly's Big Three is 6.2 3-pointers per game behind the Warriors' Big Three. 

Butler certainly is a needed piece for the 76ers, though. They badly need another scoring option as former No. 1 overall draft pick Markelle Fultz tries to figure out his shot in his second season. And Butler brings another dynamic defender. 

The combination of Butler, Embiid and Simmons can be a big problem for opposing offenses. Embiid was voted second-team All-Defense last season, and Butler has been second-team All-Defense four times. As a rookie, Simmons finished ninth in Defensive Rating (102.1) last season, and Embiid was third at 100.5. 

Thompson and Durant are highly touted on defense as two-way players, while that side of the ball can be the one knock on Curry. 

The 76ers (8-5) currently sit third in the Eastern Conference. Adding Butler makes them top contenders in the East with the Raptors, Celtics, and Bucks. They now have a Big Three to compete with anyone, but here's your friendly reminder -- there's the Warriors' Big Three, and then there's everyone else. 

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