The Miami Heat will trade Jimmy Butler to the Houston Rockets

The Miami Heat’s championship window has closed. The team, which has been to the final twice in the past five years, needs to be rebuilt. These teams were successful because of incredible role players and their development in the heat system. Players like Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, Max Strus, Kendrick Nunn, Derrick Jones Jr and Duncan Robinson. Even role players who were built elsewhere came to Miami and flourished, guys like Jae Crowder, PJ Tucker and James Johnson. These players all played major roles in Miami as they went to two NBA Finals. However, the main reason for Miami’s postseason success has been Jimmy Butler. Playoff Jimmy is real and he has consistently taken his game to another level come playoff time. Although the Butler of today is not the Butler of a few seasons ago, to be honest. This Heat roster is nowhere near what it was a few seasons ago either. It’s time for Miami to move on from Jimmy Butler and rebuild from the ground up!

What has gone wrong in Miami?

All of these elite role players that Miami developed were undrafted players. Guys that Miami identified and developed through their program. They depended on these undrafted players to contribute in a big way. Especially since a large part of the salary cap is tied up in Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler. The developmental guy they chose to pay was Duncan Robinson. Right or wrong, they gave him a bag that forced a lot of big role players out the door. Other teams could offer better contracts than the Heat since Miami was already tied up with these four players. This has caused the shift turnover problem that we are now seeing. The Heat continue to try to develop undrafted players, but it is difficult to always manage this process. This has left the Heat barren in some key areas that we are already seeing exposed this season. The on-ball defense has declined, and the overall depth of reliable options for Erik Spoelstra is a problem.

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Why trade Jimmy Butler?

Jimmy Butler is now in his age 35 season. The decline in production is beginning to show. Last year he averaged 20.8 ppg, his lowest in four seasons. This year, he’s off to a slow start, averaging a meek 16.1 ppg through eight games while shooting 15% from three. He also missed 22 games last season, including big games when the Heat needed to win to stay in the playoffs. Butler was also injured in the play-in game and missed the first-round matchup with Boston, resulting in a quick loss in the Miami series. Already this season, he has an ankle injury that has caused him to miss games. Durability is clearly another question mark. Butler’s contract is also up after this season. He has made it clear that he wants another long-term max contract. There have been rumblings that Pat Riley and co. hesitate to meet this demand. With reference to both durability and age issues. This is a valid concern as the roster is not a place to contend and Butler is often unavailable. He wants a deal that will tie him to Miami through at least his age-38 season. It just doesn’t seem like good business for a Miami team that always makes the right move and is ahead of the curve. So if you can’t get an extension and the team doesn’t win, it makes good sense to trade him.

Butler to the Houston Rockets

The perfect trade partner for Miami would be the Houston Rockets. This move makes sense for a number of reasons. First of all, it would be a homecoming for Butler, as he is from the Houston area and grew up in Tomball, Texas. For Miami, moving on from an aging superstar makes sense. The player is out of contract and the roster is not good enough to contend. Houston has a good mix of young pieces that are at the center of what they do, as well as young depth that could entice Miami.

It’s clear that Jalen Green, Jabari Smith and Alperen Sengun are the core of what they’re building. Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks are good veterans that they want to keep and wouldn’t give much upside to Miami anyway. Tari Eason or Amen Thompson could be right at the center of this trade. Both high draft picks in recent years stuck coming off the bench and limited by their lack of options. Cam Whitmore is another young player with high upside that I think Miami could be interested in. With the Heat’s development system, Cam Whitmore could become a very good player. Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore and a first-rounder would make the deal in my opinion. I think it would benefit both teams. Houston is off to a great start to the season and sits at 7-4. The addition of Butler reminds me of Chris Paul’s stints with both OKC and Phoenix later in his career. He wasn’t at the peak of his powers, but his presence helped grow the Thunder and Suns into the teams they are now. Butler could do the same with a Rockets roster oozing with talent. Miami would reset with new young pieces that they could develop. It would also give them a first-round pick and tons of cap room to maneuver. Jimmy Butler to the Houston Rockets could really be a win-win for both teams.