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It’s not difficult to look at the situation in which the Miami Heat find themselves and see that, perhaps, star wing Jimmy Butler might be on the move in the coming days. For all his talent, NBA postseason production and leadership ability during the past five seasons with the Heat, Butler missed 22 games and all of the playoffs this year with injuries. The Heat are not eager to trade Butler but might have little choice as the team weighs its future.
If the Heat do trade Butler, it would be to a contender—or at least a likely playoff team. The Knicks and a reunion with Tom Thibodeau has been mentioned. The Sixers and their ample cap space has been mentioned. The Warriors figure to be interested, as well as the Mavericks and Lakers.
But around the league, the feeling is that the Heat won’t trade Butler just to be rid of him. He is under contract for $49 million next season, and has a player option for $53 million the following year. While most situations would call for the Heat to either extend (he wants two more years) or trade Butler before he reaches the potential final year of his contract, the Heat might gamble that Butler’s situation is different.
And if there is a trade to be had, according to some NBA execs, there is a clear preferred swap partner: The Warriors.
Miami Heat Need a Bam Adebayo Co-Star
The reason? While the top packages available for Butler are mostly built around future draft picks, the fact is, the Heat have a player in his prime—Bam Adebayo, the 27-year-old center who will be the face of the franchise should Butler leave.
The Heat are not trading Butler with a goal to rebuild. They’d trade him only if they can get a young star closer to Adebayo’s timeline in return. Adebayo averaged 19.3 points and 10.4 rebounds last season, and ranks among the best two-way players in the NBA.
Team president Pat Riley is not going into the 2024-25 season in a rebuilding mode. No way.
“If they’re going to start over, they’d need to trade Bam, too,” one NBA executive told Heavy Sports. “They’re not doing that. They’re going to want to send out Jimmy Butler for a young guy who fits alongside what they’re trying to do with Bam. The Miami Heat, they’re not looking for picks. They’re not looking for Julius Randle.
“The Warriors are the only team that can check every box for them.”
Randle would be the salary-matching chip the Knicks could send back to the Heat.
Jimmy Butler Trade Would Need to Yield Jonathan Kuminga
What would a Warriors-Miami Heat trade centered around Butler look like?
That gets tricky, but the key would be two players who could fit the mold of what the Heat are looking for: a young rising star to team with Adebayo in Jonathan Kuminga and a quality two-way wing to replace Butler, in Andrew Wiggins.
“Kuminga would be the key,” the exec said. “He plays with so much force, he has that same kind of violent approach as Bam. They want that, they want to play with force and physicality.”
The Warriors would need to add salaries to make a deal work, including Gary Payton Jr. and another player. It should be noted that Golden State has shown no inkling toward trading Kuminga, who began to blossom last season (16.1 points, 52.9% shooting).
But if the Heat are to be serious about trading Butler, a Warriors deal with Wiggins and Kuminga as the starting point would be a necessity.
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