Allison Farrand-Imagn Images
The Miami Heat’s championship window is closed. The team that’s been to the Finals twice in the past five years needs to rebuild. Those teams were successful due to incredible role players and their development in the Heat system. Players like Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, Max Strus, Kendrick Nunn, Derrick Jones Jr, and Duncan Robinson. Even role players who were built elsewhere came to Miami and flourished, guys like Jae Crowder, PJ Tucker, and James Johnson. These players all played massive parts in Miami going to two NBA finals. However, the main reason for Miami’s postseason success has been Jimmy Butler. Playoff Jimmy is real, and he’s consistently taken his game to another level come playoff time. Though the Butler today isn’t the Butler of a couple of seasons ago if we’re being honest. This Heat roster is also nowhere near what it was a few seasons back. It’s time for Miami to move on from Jimmy Butler and rebuild from the ground up!
What’s gone wrong in Miami?
All of those elite role players that Miami developed were undrafted players. Guys that Miami identified and developed through their program. They depended on these undrafted players to contribute in big ways. Especially since a lot of the salary cap is tied up in Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Jimmy Butler. The developmental guy they chose to pay was Duncan Robinson. Right or wrong, they gave him a bag which forced a lot of great role players out the door. Other teams could give better contracts than the Heat since Miami was already tied up with those four players. This has caused the roster turnover problem that we now see. The Heat continue to try and develop undrafted players, but it’s hard to always nail this process. This has left the Heat barren in some key areas that we’re already seeing exposed this season. The on-ball defense has declined and the overall depth of reliable options for Erik Spoelstra is an issue.
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Why trade Jimmy Butler?
Jimmy Butler is now in his age 35 season. The decline in production has begun to show itself. Last year he averaged 20.8 ppg, his lowest in four seasons. This year he’s off to a sluggish start, through eight games he’s averaging a meek 16.1 ppg while shooting 15% from three. He also missed 22 games last season, including big games when the Heat needed to win to stay in the playoff picture. Butler also got hurt in the play-in game and missed the first-round matchup with Boston, resulting in a quick Miami series loss. Already this season he has an ankle injury that’s caused him to miss games. Durability is clearly another question mark. Butler’s contract is also up after this season. He’s made it clear he wants another long-term max contract. There’s been rumbling that Pat Riley and co. are hesitant to meet this demand. Citing both durability and age concerns. This is a valid concern as the roster isn’t in a place to contend and Butler is often unavailable. He wants a deal that would connect him to Miami through at least his age 38 season. This just doesn’t seem like good business for a team in Miami who are always making the right move and staying ahead of the curve. So, if you can’t reach an extension and the team isn’t winning, it makes a lot of sense to trade him.
Butler to the Houston Rockets
The perfect trade partner for Miami would be the Houston Rockets. This move makes sense for a number of reasons. First off, it would be a homecoming for Butler as he’s from the Houston area and grew up in Tomball, Texas. For Miami, it makes sense to move on from an aging superstar. The player is out of contract and the roster isn’t good enough to contend. Houston has a good mix of young pieces that are at the center of what they’re doing, as well as young depth that could be enticing to Miami.
Obviously, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith, and Alperen Sengun are at the core of what they’re building. Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks are good veterans that they’ll want to keep and wouldn’t provide much upside for Miami anyway. Tari Eason or Amen Thompson could be right at the center of this trade. Both high draft picks in recent years that are stuck coming off the bench and are limited by their lack of opportunities. Cam Whitmore is another young player with high upside that I think Miami could be interested in. With the Heat’s development system, Cam Whitmore could become a really nice player. Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore, and a first-rounder would get the deal done in my opinion. I think this would benefit both teams nicely. Houston is having a great start to the season and sits at 7-4. The addition of Butler reminds me of Chris Paul’s stints with both OKC and Phoenix later in his career. He wasn’t at the peak of his powers, but his presence helped grow the Thunder and Suns into the teams they are now. Butler could do the same to a Rocket’s roster that is oozing with talent. Miami would reset with new young pieces that they could develop. It would also give them a first-round pick and tons of cap space to maneuver. Jimmy Butler to the Houston Rockets could truly be a win-win for both teams.
