Jimmy Butler recently made some very thinly veiled comments about wanting to be traded from the Miami Heat. He made it official this week, as ESPN’s Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst reported: Butler has indicated to the Heat that he would like to be traded to the team. And he said, “I’m open to playing anywhere but Miami.”
According to ESPN, Butler won’t provide a list of his preferred destinations because he believes any team could be a candidate, but to be honest, Butler would at least want to go to a team that has a chance to compete for a title. It is said that there is. Furthermore, only a few teams have the assets to adequately entice Heat President Pat Riley to consider a trade, let alone actually pull the trigger on one.
With those conditions in mind, here are three teams that make sense for both sides.
golden state warriors
The Warriors have already made a trade for Dennis Schroder. they need more If they truly want to compete for a title in the twilight of Stephen Curry’s prime. Butler not only falls off a cliff when Curry is off the floor, but as a legitimate second star in an offense that desperately needs a guy like Butler who can create a personal advantage outside of the system. It could be just the ticket.
Butler is a perfect fit for the defensive, smart and selfless culture that Steve Kerr has cultivated. Even at age 35, he continues to play great basketball. He plans to decline next season’s player option in favor of another big contract, which would lock up the trio of Curry, Butler and Draymond Green until at least 2027 if Golden State gives it to them. It will be. Green is now a free agent.
That’s three titles: this season, next season, and the season after that. Almost certainly the Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins, possibly Brandin Podzemski, or Moses Moody to make a successful salary match and at least two future first-round draft picks. If not, you’ll probably lose at least one. Even if there are no other real suitors on the table, this would be a big package if the Heat aren’t looking to sell Butler short, but the reality is Golden State probably needs to hit the free agent market. there will be. Their post-Curry franchise player anyway.
They probably shouldn’t spend money piecemeal over several draft picks that could end up in the late first round. Kuminga is a good player, but probably not good enough to be a future franchise player, or even the second or third player the Warriors need on a consistent basis at this point. Podzemski has declined significantly since his all-rookie season a year ago.
Golden State is still within honest contention, and the simple truth is that it could be a very long time before they get back to that position after Curry fades. If they don’t want this final chapter to go to waste, they need to follow Butler with a package that Miami will have to seriously consider.
dallas mavericks
The Mavericks rebuilt their roster in the offseason by adding Klay Thompson, acquiring Quentin Grimes and signing Naji Marshall. While Thompson’s production has waxed and waned this season, Grimes and Marshall have been valuable additions on both ends of the floor. Kyrie Irving was having a good 50-40 ’90 season, and Luka Doncic was returning to MVP form before being sidelined for at least three more weeks with a calf strain.
With a healthy Doncic, the Mavericks don’t have to act as desperately as Golden State, as they are a legitimate title contender even without adding a player of Butler’s caliber. But even if they add Butler to their lineup, there’s no team in the world, including the Celtics, that would want to see them in a playoff series. It would be one of the best trios of individual creators and closers in NBA history, and Butler would only add to Dallas’ already solid defense.
That said, even if the Mavericks have the package Miami wants, acquiring Butler would sacrifice nearly all of the depth the Mavericks have spent time developing over the past few years. Probably. Imagine a deal that sends Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford and Maxi Kleber to the Heat for Butler and makes money by throwing two throw-ins.
That’s a lot of money for a team that doesn’t really need much. Butler is good, but even having a top-heavy roster with zero depth usually has limitations. Dallas will be betting that their top-end superstar can go further than a more balanced roster.
The Suns realize how big of a mistake that could be, but as good as the Durant-Booker-Beal trio is, the Doncic-Irving-Butler trio is even better. Doncic is better than Durant and Butler is much better than Beal. Dallas makes a lot of sense as a team that’s right there as a title contender, and doesn’t need much to push it over the top.
houston rockets
The Rockets are probably the most interesting team on this list. Many didn’t expect them to sit in third place in the Western Conference as the calendar flips to 2025, but with incredible depth, the continued rise of Alperen Sengun, And with the steady guidance of veteran guard Fred VanVleet, they have been a surprise team this season. . With the Rockets on track to return to the playoffs after a four-year hiatus, Im Udoka should be heavily considered for Coach of the Year.
Houston has been patient in its rebuilding efforts, using the draft to select promising young players and bringing in quality veterans to balance out the team. They are rumored to want to trade Kevin Durant this summer, indicating they are ready to move beyond the roster development stage and enter direct contention.
Most importantly, unlike the Warriors and Mavericks, the Rockets have a deep pool of young talent that would allow them to pull off a trade for Butler without giving up too many important rotation pieces. They can comfortably profit from integrated trading.
It’s unclear what the Heat want in return for Butler, but given the rest of the roster and assuming they want a rebuild rather than a complete rebuild, perhaps something like Jabari Smith Jr. Players could be on the trade block. If the Rockets intend to build a team around Jalen Green, Sengan and Armen Thompson, they may decide to part ways with Smith and add Butler.
If they want Reed Shepard to take over future point guard duties, Green could be part of the package. Green is a harsh evaluation. His scoring ability and creativity are special, but he lacks efficiency. He’s a dynamite athlete, a proven bucket getter, and he’s only 22 years old.
You can make a case that Houston doesn’t want to let him go, and you can also make a case that Miami doesn’t want him, at least against Smith, or Tali Eason, who is still a 23-year-old and intact defenseman. Not even. The out allows for the winning play that Miami especially covets. Cam Whitmore could be another talented young player that Miami would like to run through their development program. Houston has multiple first-round picks in 2025 and 2027, and could acquire another pick in 2029. There’s definitely a package here that Miami should seriously consider.
Importantly, the Rockets have a wealth of young talent and draft capital that the Heat could choose from, and Houston could fill out the salary package with veterans like Steven Adams, Jeff Green and Dillon Brooks.
One of Houston’s biggest problems is the lack of a reliable closer, and Butler clearly solves that problem. He will also add to Houston’s already elite defense.
This is one of those situations where Houston has to decide whether trading an aging All-Star right now is a good decision. This core is already very impressive, and if Butler is already planning to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, unless the Rockets are prepared to sign him long-term, young talent and picks will be available. It makes no sense to sacrifice.
