Ranking best Jimmy Butler trade destinations

12/10/2024 12:59 PM

In a shocking turn of events, it appears that Jimmy Butler is now available on the trade block. Shams Charania reports that the Miami Heat will listen to offers for their star small forward. They will by no means give him away for free, but considering it is widely accepted that Butler will opt out of his player option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, the Heat might have no choice but to make a trade if they are offered a package that blows them away.

Butler has led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances, but he is getting older, and he doesn’t have much time left in the league. Additionally, his Heat have disappointed in comparison to expectations this year, all while Butler’s role with the team has been reduced. The Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, and Houston Rockets are reported to be the teams Butler would be interested in joining, but they aren’t the only teams that make sense.

The NBA trade deadline isn’t until Feb. 6, 2025, but trade talk will ramp up after Dec. 15, when the majority of the league will become trade-eligible. Butler can be traded before then, though, so we are here to rank the best Jimmy Butler trade destinations.

1. Houston Rockets

Two of Jimmy Butler’s three preferred landing spots are Texas-based teams. After all, Butler is from the Houston metro area, and the Houston Rockets certainly make the most sense for his next home. On top of Butler being from Houston and his status as one of the top trade candidates this year, the Rockets are in a prime position to make a trade for a star.

They are still one of the youngest teams in the league, but they are way ahead of schedule in their rebuild and look like one of the best teams in the NBA. So far, they are 16-8 and in third place in the Western Conference. The Rockets have brought in a surplus of impressive prospects in recent seasons. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun are the closest things to stars on the team, and Jabari Smith Jr. Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, and Reed Sheppard have all played key minutes this year. All of them, as well as the promising Cam Whitmore, are recent first-round picks.

Ahead of the 2023 offseason, Houston brought in veteran pieces such as Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Jeff Green. Their experience helped take the Rockets to the next level, but they still probably need more in the veteran department if they want to compete this year. Luckily, their surplus of young talent and future draft picks means that trading assets won’t be as devastating as it would be for most teams.

In Houston, Butler could play a souped-up version of the role that Dillon Brooks plays. The Rockets might have to include Brooks in a trade for Butler to make the money work, but Butler would replace his gritty attitude and defensive prowess, all while adding more in the scoring and facilitating departments. Because the Rockets have so many key players on rookie contracts, too, they are one of the trade destinations that could avoid Butler becoming a rental and instead make a run at re-signing him in the offseason.

2. Golden State Warriors

While the Rockets are an up-and-coming team with an extended window for contention, the Golden State Warriors are only getting older. They need to supply Stephen Curry and Draymond Green with the pieces to make one more championship run before it is too late.

The Warriors have done a good job of doing that so far. Despite losing Klay Thompson in the offseason, the Warriors have been better than anybody would have guessed, as they are 14-9 and even started the season off as the hottest team in basketball. Curry is still leading the way, but the offseason additions of Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson, as well as the development of Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, and Trayce Jackson-Davis, have led Golden State to retaining their relevancy.

The loss of Klay Thompson makes us think that they are still missing a piece, though. Jimmy Butler is an advanced passer for someone who is 6-foot-7, which means he could fit perfectly in the Warriors’ ball-movement-heavy offense. He’d also help the Warriors in maintaining their better-than-expected production on the defensive end. Like the Rockets, they have intriguing young pieces to trade, too.

3. Dallas Mavericks

The third team listed as a potential trade fit for Jimmy Butler is the Dallas Mavericks, and while they don’t make as much sense as the Rockets or Warriors, there are still reasons why Dallas should consider trading for Butler. The Mavericks, fresh off of an NBA Finals appearance, made a blockbuster move for Klay Thompson in the offseason, but the four-time champion actually hasn’t performed as well as expected.

Regression has been evident for one of the best three-point shooters ever, and adding another player who can help take the defenses attention away, like Butler would, could open things up for Thompson. The problem is that it would be hard to make the money work for a Butler-to-Dallas trade, especially if the Mavericks plan on keeping Thompson. The Mavericks likely aren’t ready to give up on Thompson yet, and it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for the Heat to trade for him even if he was on the block.

From a pure fit perspective, though, Butler does make some sense on the Mavericks. He can defer to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, allowing him to thrive in a tertiary scorer/playmaker role, all while doing the little things that he thrives at. Butler is one of the few stars who makes a big impact with the intangibles.

He’d also help replace the defense that was lost when Derrick Jones Jr. signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason. After all, the Mavericks were only able to turn things up last season when they figured things out on the defensive end.

4. Los Angeles Lakers

Of the teams not listed among Butler’s preferred trade destinations, the Los Angeles Lakers make the most sense. They tried to add another star in the offseason, but they didn’t have any luck. That pressing need is still there for the team led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, too.

While Dalton Knecht has looked good with the aforementioned duo and Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell has still been too streaky for the Lakers to find consistent success. Head coach JJ Redick has aired his frustrations out about Russell on multiple occasions as well.

Butler is anything but streaky. He brings the effort night in and night out, and he would be a good fit in the Lakers roster, especially considering the three-point shooting that was added to the team when they drafted Knecht. At the end of the day, the Lakers’ notoriety is always going to make them a potential landing spot for the biggest names on the trade block, and any team with LeBron James is going to look to make the necessary moves to compete for championships.

5. San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs will go as far as Victor Wembanyama takes them. While they’ve been rebuilding for years, they proved in the offseason that they are ready to take the next step forward when they signed Chris Paul in free agency. Jimmy Butler is another veteran that they could trade for to continue moving in the right direction.

Butler, like Paul, can do the most important thing in San Antonio, and that is get Wembanyama the ball. However, he could take more of the scoring burden off of the former number-one overall pick’s back than the 39-year-old Paul can. San Antonio is currently 12-12, which means they are ready to make a run at the playoffs. The Western Conference is stacked, though, so they will need all of the help that they can get.

The starting small forward position is the Spurs’ weakest. Julian Champagnie has been starting at the three this season, and while he has played admirably, an upgrade at the spot is necessary. Plus, the Spurs fit the description of a Texas-based team that Butler seems to be desiring.

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