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The Los Angeles Lakers will be searching in every direction this offseason to find a new piece to pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. In a blockbuster proposed deal from Stephen Noh from The Sporting News, the Lakers would be landing Jimmy Butler, which would have them “salivating,” according to Noh. The trade proposal is in a three-team deal with the Lakers, Miami Heat, and Detroit Pistons.
Lakers get: Butler
Heat get: Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Lakers 2024 first-round pick, Lakers 2029 first-round pick, Lakers 2031 first-round pick, Pistons 2024 second-round pick, Pistons 2027 second-round pick
Pistons get: D’Angelo Russell
“The Lakers would be salivating at the opportunity of adding Butler next to long-time playoff rival LeBron James. They need more shot creation. Butler can still do that at an extremely high level,” Noh wrote in his Butler destinations article on May 9.
In this proposed deal, the Lakers would have to send all three of their first-round picks. The Pistons would have to be involved to take the salary on from Russell.
“The Lakers would have to send out money to match Butler’s big salary. D’Angelo Russell would have to opt into the next year of his deal for this to work, which might not be too far-fetched given how poorly he played in the 2024 NBA Playoffs,” Noh wrote. “Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent would be the other outgoing pieces.
“Los Angeles has up to three first-rounders that it can move after the draft, in 2024, 2029 and 2031. It would need to include all of them to be competitive.”
How Jimmy Butler Would Help the Los Angeles Lakers
Playoff Butler is a thing that’s known around the NBA. Despite being 34-year-old, Butler has proved in the playoffs that he can be one of the best players in the league, evident by his performance in the 2022-23 playoffs when he sent the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics home.
During those playoffs, Butler averaged 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.8 steals in 22 games.
Adding the 6-time All-Star and his playoff performances next to James and Davis would instantly make the Los Angeles Lakers one of the scariest teams in the NBA during the postseason.
This would be the type of move that signals the Lakers are all in on winning a championship within the next year or two given his age, but he’d also give them an opportunity to complete that task if he can put up similar statistics in previous runs.
Butler showed countless times during the 2023 playoff run that he can score at will when needed most, adding another element to why he’d be a perfect fit on the Lakers.
Pat Riley Called Out Butler
The Miami Heat were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round, but Butler missed the entire series with a knee injury.
However, in a video posted on X, Butler called out Boston and the New York Knicks.
Speaking to the media, Heat president Pat Riley called out Butler for his comments.
“For him to say that, I thought ‘Is that Jimmy trolling or is that Jimmy serious?'” said Riley. “If you’re not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut and your criticism of those teams.”
Riley’s comments have raised questions on whether Butler could get moved this offseason, perhaps to a team like the Los Angeles Lakers.