Jimmy Butler didn't view Ben Simmons as mentally tough as himself, Joel Embiid?

Jimmy Butler was seen as a "difficult teammate" for years, but now that he's led the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals, that talk has been washed away. However, during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers, many saw him as a detriment to the team. 

As it turns out, it sounds like the struggles Butler had while in Philadelphia had to do with his relationship with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. According to Zach Harper of The Athletic, Butler had a solid relationship with Embiid, but the same couldn't be said about his relationship with Simmons.

Butler spent the next few months with the 76ers, assessing if this was going to work for him when his free agency hit in the summer of 2019. Butler loved Embiid. While Embiid’s conditioning and work ethic have often been questioned, his personality connected with Butler’s. Maybe it was bonding over wanting to punk Towns or maybe it was just two trash talkers admiring each other. Regardless, Butler was in with Embiid. However, he wasn’t comfortable with the rest of the situation.

Before his stint with the 76ers, Butler's tenure with the Minnesota Timberwolves ended with the All-Star talent forcing his way off the team due to issues with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. While he certainly had his issues in Minnesota, his relationship with Simmons wasn't quite like it was with Towns and Wiggins. 

Ben Simmons wasn’t quite Towns from a personality standpoint, but sources told The Athletic that Butler didn’t view him on par with someone like himself or Embiid when it came to mental makeup. More than anything, Butler didn’t like the hierarchy of the organization.

Butler eventually moved on from Philadelphia and to Miami, where he's found immense success with the organization. As the Heat gear up for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, both Minnesota and Philadelphia certainly will watch on in frustration and wonder what could have been.