For the past few months, Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat have traded subtle hints that both parties are now headed to a split. If that happens, the Cleveland Cavaliers may be a great landing spot for the All-Star forward.
Butler’s journey with the Miami Heat has been a rollercoaster of success and disappointment that started when he first joined the team in 2019 after a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. In his inaugural season, the All-Star led the Heat to a surprise Finals appearance against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, where he averaged an impressive 27.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.1 steals. However, they ultimately fell short, losing the series in six games inside the Orlando Bubble.
A few years later, Butler and the Heat found themselves back in the NBA Finals, this time facing Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets. Despite their resilience, the team suffered another defeat, this time in five games. This past season, the Heat’s run came to an abrupt end in the first round, with Butler sidelined due to a knee injury. His absence was felt, as Miami struggled to contend without their star player, leading the team to exit the playoffs earlier than anticipated.
Now, the Heat and Butler face an uncertain future. With the All-Star’s contract extension pending, it remains to be seen whether he will stay in Miami, be traded, or sign with a new team as a free agent.
Cleveland Cavaliers Named As Potential Jimmy Butler Landing Spot
At this point in time, there isn’t any word yet on whether Miami’s front office will extend Butler’s contractr and give him a max contract. If they don’t a good landing spot for him would be to join All-Star guard Donoavan Mitchell with the Cleveland Cavaliers, as explained by Anthony Pasciolla’s article for SI.
“”This is just me talking, I didn’t ask anybody questions or anything like that. But the one team that, if they were willing to trade Jimmy, I don’t know if they are, the one team I would pay attention to is the Cleveland Cavaliers,” Pompey said.
“Because Rich Paul said if you give Donovan Mitchell an extension, then you know they probably want to get Darius Garland out of there. Now that’s what the reports are saying, but I think that right now it’s up to Cleveland to make a decision. But to me, I don’t know if Jimmy would want to go there,” Pasciolla wrote.
The Cavaliers have the necessary assets to get Butler since Darius Garland’s presence somehow overlaps with Mitchell in the roster. The same can be said about Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, and there’s a chance these guys can be packaged into a deal for the Heat.
Having Butler and Mitchell wearing the Wine and Gold will surely shake up the Eastern Conference next year. Expect a lot of eyes to be on the latter, especially if the Heat doesn’t give him a max contract extension in the coming months.
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