With the Heat reportedly listening to trade offers for Jimmy Butler, could the Lakers jump into the conversation?
In a bit of a surprising move, Jimmy Butler became likely the biggest name to be on the trade block this season.
On Monday, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that the Heat would be “open to listening to offers” on Butler. The Lakers weren’t one of the teams mentioned in the piece — Houston, Dallas and Golden State were — but it’s the Lakers and they’ll almost always be linked to the top names available.
The Heat have remained competitive but appear far from the elite in the East. The Cleveland Cavaliers and the defending champion Boston Celtics have not lost as many games combined as Miami has so far.
With the Heat willing to hear offers, is there a path for the Lakers to Butler?
The theoretical answer is yes, but finding a trade that doesn’t decimate the entire roster is nearly impossible. For one, with the Lakers up against the second apron, they can’t take more money back in a deal, which greatly complicates matters.
A deal that could bring Butler to L.A. would require at least a handful of quality Lakers to make the math work with Butler making $48.8 million this season. Such a move would likely include the team trading away at least three of D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and Austin Reaves just to make the math work.
While this would give the Los Angeles star power, it would also take away at least three of their dependable role players and a player in Reaves, who the team has been very hesitant to include in trade talks in recent seasons. Not to mention, Vando has yet to play and might not be someone the Heat would be willing to take due to his current health and the fact he’s only in the first year of his four-year extension.
That’s not to speak about whether the Heat want more value in the players they acquire, either. If that becomes the case, then the Lakers would then have to work one or both of Max Christie or Dalton Knecht into the deal, their two best young pieces.
(Jimmy Butler trades for the Lakers are fairly complicated and involve decimating an already thin roster by sending out as many as 4 rotation players. But for a team that needs toughness as bad as the Lakers, it’s probably worth at least talking about)
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) December 10, 2024
As it becomes clear after spending some time looking at salaries and in the trade machine, this kind of deal may be discussed, but it is unlikely to get done given how much has to be given up to do the money work for Butler.
Jimmy’s talent is undeniable. He’s been to the NBA Finals as the main guy and would undoubtedly be an exciting player to pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Butler is averaging 19 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 17 games this season and would immediately give the Lakers an elite scoring option on the perimeter. There are also few players more ready and willing to step up to the moment in the postseason than Butler, who has garnered a reputation for his performances in the playoffs.
Lakers fans saw it firsthand in the bubble when Butler went toe-to-toe against LeBron and AD. In the 2023 playoffs, Butler helped the Heat go from the play-in to the NBA Finals with dazzling performances every step of the way.
While Butler has done everything but win a title in Miami, he is a 35-year-old player with a history of knee injuries. Butler didn’t get a contract extension with Miami this summer, with his availability being discussed as a factor in making another long-term commitment to the star guard.
The Heat now have to consider whether they want to keep this partnership going and pay Butler $52 million next year if he opts in or risk losing him for nothing if he opts out.
L.A. has been searching for a player of Butler’s caliber during the entire LeBron era but has failed to find a long-term solution.
This is a very fluid situation, but it’s been reported that the Lakers are more interested in trading for depth than star power.
The franchise has been linked to players such as Kyle Kuzma, Day’ron Sharpe and Jonas Valančiūnas, but not anything close to a player of Butler’s prestige.
So, while hypothesizing about ways to build a big three in Los Angeles can be fun, it’s unlikely to be anything realistic or logical for the Lakers to pursue.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.
