Jimmy Butler‘s long-term future with the Miami Heat came into focus this past summer after he did not get an extension.
Butler can become a free agent after this season if he opts out of his $52.4 million player option for next season, meaning he can leave the Heat without anything in return.
Bleacher Report’s salary cap expert Eric Pincus proposed a massive four-team trade proposal that can save the Heat from this potential mess while building around Bam Adebayo as the franchise’s cornerstone.
Miami Heat receive: Andrew Wiggins (from Warriors), Jonathan Kuminga (from Warriors) and $14.9M trade exception (Butler)
Golden State Warriors receive: Jimmy Butler (from Heat) and Anton Watson (from Celtics)
Detroit Pistons receive: Kevon Looney (from Warriors), Gary Payton II (from Warriors), Atlanta Hawks 2026 second-rounder (from Warriors), Los Angeles Lakers 2026 second-rounder (from Heat), Atlanta Hawks 2028 second-rounder (from Warriors), $2.5 million (from Warriors) and $1.5 million (from Heat)
Boston Celtics receive: $1.1 million (from the Heat)
Pincus noted that Butler needs to waive his trade kicker worth slightly over $400,000 for this complex four-team trade to work under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Heat president Pat Riley admonished Butler during his exit interview in May for talking trash while he was injured and his notoriety for lying low during the regular season and switching to “Playoff Jimmy” mode in the postseason.
The Heat star has never played more than 64 games since moving to Miami in 2019.
Hitting Two Birds in One Stone
This trade proposal from Pincus will not only help the Heat financially but also bolster their wing depth.
“If a deal can be done before the regular season, Miami can lock in Kuminga to a long-term extension or wait until he’s a restricted free agent in July. Either way, the Heat would have the means to retain Kuminga long-term while adding a solid veteran in Wiggins for three total years (he can opt out of $30.2 million before the 2026-27 season),” Pincus wrote.
The Heat can also flip Wiggins at some point once he recovers his trade value.
Pincus also added the Heat would avoid paying $25.9 million (for a 14-man roster) if they pull off such a trade before the season tips off.
“Additionally, teams that pay the tax don’t receive the kickback share, projected to range from $15-$19 million this season. That’s why sending $1.1 million to Boston makes sense for the Heat, as they’d have a net saving in the $55 million range by ducking the tax entirely,” Pincus wrote.
Jonathan Kuminga’s Star Potential
While Wiggins is the former No. 1 pick coming back to the Heat in this trade pitch, it is Kuminga who is the real prize.
Kuminga has just started to scratch his potential with a mini breakout in the second half of last season. At 22, he is 13 years younger than Butler.
Kuminga fits the Heat timeline with their young core of Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic.
The Warriors’ young forward averaged 17.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 46 games as a starter last season.
His shooting has improved.
Through five preseason games, Kuminga is shooting 52.3% from the field and 47.6% on 4.2 3-point attempts.
The Warriors are in the same boat as the Heat in terms of offering a contract extension for players who have to prove themselves.
The Warriors wanted to see more of Kuminga flourishing this season, and prove last season was not just a fluke, before giving him an extension.
They “aren’t currently prepared to give Kuminga a max extension or anything that stretches too close to that $44.8 million annual salary,” per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
This gives an opening to a team such as the Heat to come in and trade for Kuminga.
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Heat 4-Team Trade Pitch Flips Jimmy Butler for Former No. 1 Pick, Rising Star