The Miami Heat are a third of the way through their season, and they are not where they want to be. A 13-11 record to date is good enough for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference as things stand, yet the Heat never do sixth seeds on purpose. As much as any NBA franchise, they eschew the rebuilds and the bottoming-out process, instead always seeking to keep the can in the air and construct competitive teams from within.
They have been able to do so in recent years due in large part to the excellence of Jimmy Butler. Since acquiring him from the Philadelphia 76ers back in 2019, the six-time All-Star has led Miami to the postseason every year, including two NBA Finals appearances. Playoff Jimmy is a different beast, and the Heat have twice come within three wins of a championship in the Butler Era without being in the NBA’s basement since the days of Dorell Wright.
Butler, though, is deep into the final third of his career. This is his fourteenth NBA season, and as he plays longer, he plays less. Jimmy has never played in more than 64 regular season games while a member of the Heat, and although this has been in part strategic so as to maximize his health for the playoffs, it also means a lot of time and money tied up in a player who spends much of the time on the inactive list.
When the team is good enough to be a high seed, that is manageable, yet the margins are much smaller in the lower seeds. And if the Heat do decide they need to change things up, then by virtue of his upcoming retirement – aged 35, he is already now at an age he once said he would no longer be playing at – Butler might be the best trade candidate. After all, if he abruptly retires, there would be no returning assets at all.
The rumor mill is buzzing with talk of a potential Butler deal, and with trade season beginning in earnest after Christmas, his name will be one of the major ones on the market. There follows a look at seven potential destinations for Butler, should any trade come to pass.
