Jimmy Butler is on the move again. At least, he will be shortly if he gets his way. The 35-year-old 14-year NBA veteran has reportedly asked out of his latest team, the Miami Heat, and if Miami team president Pat Riley chooses to accommodate him, Butler would soon be heading to his fifth team.
Of the four he has played for, however, Butler is most closely identified with the Heat, not only because he has spent the last six seasons, including the current one, there, but because in that time he has taken Miami to the playoffs every year including two trips to the NBA Finals and and three to the Eastern Conference finals.
The one goal he has not accomplished with the Heat has been to take home the elusive Larry O’Brien trophy, awarded each year to the NBA champions. In fact, Butler has never won an NBA title with any of his teams — the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves or Philadelphia 76ers before the Heat. Under a new trade proposal, he may have the best shot of his career at the ultimate NBA achievement.
New Trade Pitch Pairs Butler With Nikola Jokić
Butler seems fed up with the Heat. According to a report by ESPN.com, Butler still holds a grudge against Riley over comments made in May. After the Heat fell in five games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs to the eventual champion Boston Celtics, Butler made a public comment saying that the Celtics would have gone “home” if he, Butler, had played in the series. Butler missed all five games with a knee injury.
Riley didn’t approve of Butler’s trolling and said so.
“If you’re not on the court playing, you should keep your mouth shut,” Riley said in a postseason press conference.
So if Riley decides to accede to Butler’s trade request, what can the Heat get in return for the frequently-injured six-time All-Star? A new three-team trade proposal by Eddie Bitar of Fadeaway World suggests the Heat could receive a pair of two-time All-Stars in return.
A New Big Three in Miami, and One in Denver
That pair would be shooting guard Zach Lavine, who is in the third year of a five-year, $215 million contract, and 14-year veteran center Nikola Vučević, both now of the Chicago Bulls. In return, the Heat would ship Butler to the 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets, where he would be paired with three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokić and eight-year veteran point guard Jamal Murray to form a “Big Three.”
Lavine and Butler have been traded for each other once before, in the 2017 deal that sent Lavine to the Bulls and Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Bulls would walk away with Denver’s Michael Porter Jr. and fifth-year forward Zeke Nnaji. Chicago would also get the Heat’s three-point shooting specialist Duncan Robinson, who has shot at a 40 percent clip from behind the arc for his seven year career.
“This trade signals a clear shift for the Bulls from trying to compete immediately to focusing on long-term potential,” Bitar wrote. “For a franchise stuck in mediocrity, this is the bold pivot they need.”
As for the Heat, they emerge with “a revamped roster that keeps them competitive in the Eastern Conference,” Bitar wrote, adding that matching Lavine with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro gives Miami,”a new-look Big Three.”
As for creating a new Big Three on the Nuggets, the Butler trade “solidifies Denver as a favorite in the Western Conference by addressing their two biggest needs: wing defense and playoff toughness,” according to Bitar. “With Jokić in his prime, Denver’s championship window is now, and this move maximizes their chances of raising another banner.”
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Nuggets Get Jimmy Butler, Heat Receive $215 Million Shooter in New Trade Pitch