The Jimmy Butler situation in South Beach is making for some intriguing wild trade proposals. One such trade fantasy involves the Houston Rockets, as recently floated by Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report.
Jimmy Butler to the Houston Rockets?
Hughes’ idea is that the Rockets will send Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the third pick overall in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft to the Miami Heat in exchange for six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler and the No. 15 pick in this year’s draft.
Those anchored to the idea of teams spending four or five first-rounders to land a superstar might balk at Houston’s outgoing package here. But Butler is only available because he’s angling for an extension the Heat aren’t keen to offer, and that has to lower the price for the acquiring team in any trade.
Add to that uncertainty about Butler holding up for a full season, likely decline as he gets deeper into his 30s and his general irascibility, and you’ve got enough drawbacks for the Rockets to get away with an offer like this.
Butler will be earning nearly $49 million in the 2024-25 NBA season and also has a player option worth $52.41 million for the 2025-26 campaign. The Heat, as mentioned, don’t seem to be all that interested in giving Butler an extension, perhaps because of his age and health issues. Butler has appeared in more than 60 games in a season just once since the 2019-20 campaign.
Still, someone like Butler would be quite an addition to the Rockets, who also might be not that convinced about the idea of potentially giving Green a big extension.
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