Jimmy Butler (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
A blockbuster trade proposal has the Miami Heat sending All-Star guard Jimmy Butler to a Western Conference powerhouse in a move that would shake up the NBA landscape.
Despite another strong start to the season by Jimmy Butler (17.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game), the Heat are off to a disappointing 6-7 start. There’s time to turn it around, but Erik Spoelstra’s group certainly doesn’t look like a championship contender thus far.
Having barely squeaked into the postseason in each of the last two years, it wouldn’t at all be a surprise if Miami President Pat Riley decided to begin a retool by dealing his superstar guard.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley recently proposed a blockbuster trade idea that has Miami sending Jimmy Butler and former All-Star Kevin Love to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, De’Anthony Melton, Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, a 2028 first-round pick plus 2026 and 2028 second-round picks:
“If the Heat don’t trust Butler to stay healthy often enough to justify the cost of his next contract, they might be ready to reshape their roster around Bam Adebayo. Between him, Kuminga, Wiggins, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jović, Miami’s frontcourt might be set for the next half-decade. Podziemski would add more creation to the group, Santos could be a developmental project to undertake and the incoming first increases the franchise’s trade budget…
If the Warriors are convinced Stephen Curry needs a costar to make a championship run, they probably aren’t doing better in this market than Butler (unless the world’s biggest fans of Kuminga and Podziemski happen to reside in Milwaukee’s front office). Butler has the experience to adjust on the fly, the playmaking ability to help bring even more out of Curry and the competitive fire to form a kindred-spirit type of bond with Draymond Green. Love’s range, vision and IQ have always made him an on-paper fit for this system.”
Melton, Wiggins and Kuminga are all averaging double-digit points per game this year, so there’s a case to be made that Miami would be better off swapping out Butler now to bolster their scoring depth.
The Warriors are in win-now mode with Stephen Curry still in his prime. A core consisting of the two-time MVP, Butler, Draymond Green, Buddy Hield and Moses Moody would push the Warriors closer to a fifth title in the Curry-Green era.
Warriors Are The Ideal Landing Spot For Jimmy Butler
With Butler in his age-35 season, he’ll obviously want to be traded to a championship contender at this phase of his career. Other elite teams like the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder don’t have a pressing need at guard, so the Dubs are perhaps the most logical landing spot for the future Hall of Famer.
Golden State has enough assets, especially young roster players, to acquire a marquee talent like Butler. If Miami makes him available, the Dubs need to go for it.
