Talking about the rumors that the Houston Rockets would be a preferred destination for Jimmy Butler if he were to be traded by the Miami Heat , general manager Rafael Stone gave his opinion on the recent news. As the Rockets prepare to take on the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, Brown would say on SiriusXM NBA Radio that he would be “shocked if something changes this season.”
“I mean, of course, my job is to be open to everything, so I'm not going to not do my job,” Stone said. “We like this team. You know, we definitely do not intend to change anything. And I would be shocked if something changes this season. You know, we like where we're at. We want to continue to develop our guys, you know, and full stop, and will I listen to other teams? Of course, I will. That's my job, you know.”
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Rockets' Rafael Stone shuts down any Jimmy Butler talk
Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) shoots the ball against Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen (8) during the second half at Kaseya Center.
Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
As the Rockets are led by Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Dillon Brooks, and others, it seems as if Brown likes where the current team is at in the present and how they can develop in the future. However, Stone would say that as a part of his job, due diligence is necessary, though still putting down the notion that a trade for Butler is happening.
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“But again, no, there's no part of me, there's no part of our decision-making process that suggests that we're looking to do anything big now or in the near term,” Stone said. “And you know we, we definitely, we want this group to be as good as as it can be this year, and then we'll evaluate things at the end of the year, but the hope is very much that this core group can lead us to where we want to go and and that from a transactional perspective, we're largely done.”
The Rockets have been connected to Butler trade rumors for a while now, especially since the Heat star is from the city and the team is on the come-up. At any rate, Houston is 16-8, which puts them third in the Western Conference as they prepare to take on the Warriors on Wednesday night.