Jimmy Butler trade grades for ESPN's hypothetical 4-team deal involving Mavericks

01/04/2025 01:13 AM

Jimmy Butler will be playing for another team soon, that much is guaranteed. Following the Miami Heat’s 128-115 loss to the Indiana Pacers, a game in which Butler didn’t play a single minute in the fourth quarter yet again, the 35-year-old star reached the end of his rope with the team, saying that it’s impossible for him to get his joy back while playing for the team and then formally requesting a trade — to any of the other 29 teams in the association — shortly afterwards.

Butler’s age, injury history, and contract situation will always complicate matters. For over half the association, swinging a trade with the Heat for Butler makes little to no sense. It is a tricky exercise to come up with a team that could pull off a blockbuster that will satisfy nboth teams’ needs.

Kevin Pelton of ESPN did quite well in figuring out a way to get Butler to one of his reported preferred destinations — the Dallas Mavericks. This is the hypothetical trade that Pelton came up with:

Mavericks get: Jimmy Butler
Heat get: Brandon Ingram, Naji Marshall, Daniel Theis
New Orleans Pelicans get: Daniel Gafford, Dwight Powell, Klay Thompson
Detroit Pistons get: Maxi Kleber, 2025 DAL first-round pick (top-14 protected)

This framework of a trade, however, makes any potential deal between the Mavericks, Heat, and any other teams that could potentially be involved quite the pipe dream. In this exercise, we will be grading how the teams involved above come out following this ambitious hypothetical trade.

Mavericks grade: D+

As the old adage goes, one cannot acquire talent via trade without giving up talent in return. However, the Mavericks aren’t in a position to be gutting this much depth for anyone, even for a proven playoff performer like Jimmy Butler.

For those counting at home, in the hypothetical trade above, the Mavericks have to give up five players for salary-matching purposes just to get Butler. Of those five players, four are expected to play a huge part in the rotation even with everyone on the team healthy. That is simply too big of a price to pay.

Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Daniel Gafford, and Maxi Kleber all have crucial roles to fill for the Mavericks once they get everyone back from injury; Thompson and Marshall are battle-tested wings who should log heavy minutes for the team come playoff time, while Kleber is a versatile frontcourt option who can both function as a floor-spacing threat and a small-ball five. Meanwhile, Gafford proved during the 2024 NBA playoffs that he and Dereck Lively II create so much space for the team’s offense by being elite vertical threats all while being intimidating rim-protecting presences.

The Mavericks have prioritized depth, and it’s difficult to envision them giving all of those up even for someone like Butler. Then there’s the issue of Butler’s fit with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving; Doncic and Irving command the ball a lot, and Butler isn’t someone who spaces the floor at a high volume. That is Thompson’s job; the Mavs signed him this past offseason to improve their spacing after the Boston Celtics simply decided to leave Derrick Jones Jr. open from the perimeter, daring him to beat them (he didn’t).

Butler’s star power may be alluring, but the Mavericks must subscribe to the idea of not needing to fix anything when nothing’s broken.

Heat grade: A

The Heat have no leverage whatsoever in trade talks involving Jimmy Butler now that his trade request has gone public and now that he’s burned his bridges with the team. So for them to get Brandon Ingram, a fringe All-Star talent as a three-level scorer on the wing, for Butler would be a major win, even if they will be required to pony up a huge sum for his next contract.

And for the Heat to be able to acquire Naji Marshall, a hard-nosed wing with playmaking and scoring chops, is just the cherry on top. Miami cannot ask for much more than this in a trade for Butler, especially when they’ve always prioritized remaining competitive over hitting the reset button, which would indicate a potential preference for players that could help them win now instead of future draft assets that may not amount to much.

Pelicans grade: C-

With the Pelicans currently posting the worst record in the league at 6-29, it’s only a matter of time before they sell off some of their most important players, including Brandon Ingram. But it’s very poor asset management for the Pelicans if all they could acquire in exchange for Ingram are Daniel Gafford, Dwight Powell, Klay Thompson — basically functioning as a salary-dump site for the Mavericks and Heat.

One could argue that the Pelicans could turn Gafford into draft assets, while Thompson is someone who could draw interest from other contending teams due to his 3-and-D utility. But Ingram is one of the Pelicans’ most prized assets. Sure, it might be better for them to trade him for anything of value instead of letting him walk for nothing in free agency, but they have to have their sights set on a much-better return than this.

Pistons grade: A-

The Pistons have climbed back to relevancy, and it’s thanks to the continued emergence of Cade Cunningham as well as the addition of a few veterans to help establish some good habits in the squad. But with Detroit still not among the best teams in the league, there is no rush for them to add other major pieces to try and hasten the team’s rebuilding timeline.

Thus, it is a smart use of cap space for the Pistons to take on Maxi Kleber’s contract while being rewarded with a first-round pick for it. And it’s not as if Kleber is some deadweight who won’t be of help for Detroit. Kleber, as was established, is a 3-and-D forward, a helpful piece for any team looking to win some ballgames. And it’s not as if he’ll be expected to play a huge role, as he will be coming off the bench.

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