After a poor start to the season, the Miami Heat have shown a ton of improvement lately. They are on a three-game win streak right now with their wins coming against high-profile opposition like the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers.
That has left them with a respectable 12-10 record. Good enough to sit at 5th in the Eastern Conference table.
A cloud of uncertainty continues to hang over this team though. And it has to do with the future of Jimmy Butler.
It has been widely reported that Butler wanted a contract extension in the offseason but was not handed one by the Heat, who wanted the 35-year-old to prove his fitness.
Butler has a player option for next season and it is very possible that he could decide to opt out and test the waters in search of his last big contract.
According to Shams Charania in ESPN, the Heat are open to trading Butler if the proposal is right. His agent, Bernie Lee, expressed in league circles that he was open to the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Suns.
So far this season, Butler is averaging 19 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists. Those might not be the most amazing numbers in the world but his game is about so much more than stats.
On his day, Butler is one of the best players in the world and has carried the Heat to two NBA Finals trips over his time in Miami.
Trading for Butler would be the ultimate win-now move on the part of the Warriors but it might be one that they need to make, if they are to win one more ring with Stephen Curry as the face of the franchise.
Butler joining contenders like the Mavericks, Rockets and Suns would be intriguing as well but the idea of him teaming up with Curry in Golden State is the one that will interest basketball fans the most.
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This story was originally published December 11, 2024, 10:17 PM.