Jimmy Butler is in his sixth season with the Miami Heat. He’s been their leading star since joining in 2019, with the 2023 NBA Finals run, where he willed the team toward success, being his most memorable stretch.
Over the past 18 months, Butler has begun to show signs of slowing down. He’s adopted an apathetic approach to the regular season and has dealt with a string of little injuries. Given the Heat’s mishmash of a roster and Butler’s declining physical attributes, he’s emerged as a potential trade candidate for the franchise.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Heat are open to discussing a trade to send Butler to a new situation. Of course, Miami would likely want significant compensation in the form of young talent or future draft picks.
“The Heat are open to listening to offers for Butler and making a deal if the proposal is right, league sources told ESPN, and Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated in league circles that Butler is open to destinations such as two of the Texas teams (Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks) and the Golden State Warriors,” Charania reported. “Butler is a native of Houston. Above all, though, he is believed to prefer a win-now title contender in any trade. Teams have also been informed that Butler intends to opt out of his deal in the offseason and become a free agent, sources said.”
Trading Butler would be the first move on Pat Riley’s chessboard. It would restock some of the franchise’s asset cupboard and put it in a better position to become active in the trade market. Still, other moves would need to be made. Finding a new home for Kevin Love should be next on the list, even if the return is a second-round draft pick. Then, decisions need to be made regarding the mid-roster players such as Duncan Robinson.
The only players who should be safe are Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and possibly Jaime Jaquez Jr. Everyone else should be available for discussions. Miami has spent the past two years blinded by its Cinderella run to the NBA Finals. In truth, it got lucky. The roster is aging and poorly constructed, and it isn’t conducive to a legitimate championship push.
Moving on from Butler may hurt, but it’s what’s best for him and the team. Only then can the Heat begin to re-tool and build around Adebayo as their core piece. Fortunately, they have the best head coach in the NBA to oversee the transition period.
