Miami, FL
New Three-Team Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sends Jimmy Butler to Houston, Miami and Atlanta Acquire Assets
The NBA offseason is at a standstill and teams are getting ready to report to training camp. The rosters that teams have are the ones that they are likely going to take into the season and any big moves that could happen will likely have to wait until the trade deadline. While guys like Lauri Markkanen (who can’t be traded now) and Brandon Ingram have dominated the trade rumors for the better part of the last month, a couple of other names have surfaced this week.
Knicks forward Julius Randle has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate this offseason and so has Heat forward Jimmy Butler.
Butler’s future has been quietly in question throughout this off-season as he angles for a long-term deal to stay in Miami. Per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, he can sign for up to two years and $112.9 million on an extension with the Heat. However, Heat president Pat Riley did not commit to securing Butler for the foreseeable future. He had this to say after the Heat were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round:
“We have not discussed that [a Butler extension] internally right now. We have to look at making that kind of commitment and when do we do it. We don’t have to do it until 2025, actually. But we’ll see. We haven’t made a decision on it, and we haven’t really in earnest discussed it.”
He also commented on Butler’s availability, which has been a persistent question over the last few seasons. Butler will soon turn 35 years old and just missed the entirety of the playoffs with a knee injury. He has also never played in over 65 regular season games as a member of the Heat.
“That’s a big decision on our part to commit those kinds of resources unless you have somebody who’s going to be there and available every single night. That’s the truth.”
While I don’t think Butler actually gets moved, which teams could be interested in acquiring him? One team could be the Houston Rockets, who have loads of players and traded assets to send to Miami, but they could want another team to get involved. The new CBA makes it tough for teams to make big trades on their own.
It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks should do or will do. That is all.
Here is the trade.
Atlanta Receives: Dillon Brooks, Josh Richardson, Nikola Jovic, 2026 2nd round pick (via LAC, BOS, IND, Or MIA), 2027 2nd pick via Memphis, 2029 1st round pick via Miami (top-10 protected), and a 2031 2nd round pick via Houston
Miami Receives: De’Andre Hunter, Kobe Bufkin, Jalen Green, Jock Landale, Tari Eason, 2025 1st round pick (via Houston), and a 2031 1st round pick (via Houston)
Houston Receives: Jimmy Butler
Why the Hawks do this trade: They move off of the Hunter contract, get more picks that could be used in the future, shore up their defense with Brooks, and get an impressive young prospect in Jovic. Richardson does not provide much, but Brooks could step in as a starter until Zaccharie Risacher is ready, the Hawks’ No. 1 thing they needed to improve this offseason was their defense and for all of Brooks’s flaws, he does that. Jovic could be Jalen Johnson’s backup and provide spacing. Atlanta is still under the tax after this move as well.
Why the Hawks don’t do this trade: I think the reasons the Hawks might not do this is if they deem they don’t want to deal with Brooks and everything he brings. While Kobe Bufkin has had trouble with injuries, he is still a promising young player and they may not want to give up on him yet.
Why the Heat do this Trade: They get back a good haul for Butler and they reset their timeline, which might be needed at this point. This iteration of the Heat is getting older and might not be able to contend for a title. In this trade, they get Green, who has shown flashes of being a franchise cornerstone, Eason is one of the best defenders in the league and feels like he would fit Miami perfectly, Hunter just had the best shooting season of his career and is still a young wing player who could provide them depth, Bufkin is a young guard they could develop, and the Heat get some much-needed draft assets. The Heat don’t have to bottom out and can stay competitive, which is something they pride themselves on doing.
Why the Heat don’t do this trade: For the flashes that Jalen Green has shown, he has shown a downside as well. He had a great stretch of play towards the end of last season, but that was the only time he has consistently been a good player. If he is nothing more than an above-average player, this deal might not look good. Hunter and Bufkin have both had injury problems and Eason still has a ways to go on offense. Landale is a solid backup center and nothing more. The Heat usually want to trade for superstars and this does not fit that unless Jalen Green has another big leap in him, which is possible.
Why the Rockets do this: They can start competing now for playoff spots and still have plenty of young talent and assets for the future. Butler can help them make a playoff push and the Rockets still have Reed Sheppard, Cam Whitmore, Jabari Smit, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson.
Why the Rockets don’t do this: The only reason that I can think of why Houston does not do this is that they still believe in Green and they don’t want to use their trade chips for an older player like Butler.
This trade is very unlikely, but you can bet Houston would be interested if Butler was available and it might take a third team to get this deal done, though it is not a requirement by any means.
Miami, FL
U.S. attorney in Miami targeting Cuban Communist leaders with new initiative, sources say
The top federal prosecutor in Miami is spearheading a new initiative targeting Cuban leaders for prosecution, sources familiar with the plan tell CBS News.
Jason Reding Quiñones, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, is working with officials from federal and local law enforcement agencies and the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, to establish a new Cuban prosecution working group, the sources said. OFAC is the office responsible for imposing sanctions.
The group plans to focus on prosecutions involving economic crimes, drugs, violent crimes and immigration-related violations, with a focus on targeting those in the Communist Party leadership, the sources added.
A Justice Department spokesperson told CBS News: “Federal prosecutors from across the country work every day to pursue justice, which includes efforts to combat transnational crime.”
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office could not be immediately reached for comment. The plans for the new working group were reported earlier by the Washington Post.
President Trump has indicated he’s been eyeing Cuba’s leaders, after the U.S. ousted Venezuelan President Nicolàs Maduro and brought him to the United States to face drug charges in January, and recently launched a joint war with Israel against Iran last week that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The president told CNN in an interview on Friday that Cuba’s communist government was likely to be toppled next.
“Cuba is gonna fall pretty soon,” Mr. Trump said, according to CNN.
Quiñones and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Yara Klukas are the same prosecutors who are separately leading an investigation into former Obama-era intelligence officials, including former CIA Director John Brennan, over an intelligence assessment that determined that Russia had tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential election to help benefit Mr. Trump.
Late last year, Quiñones’ office sent subpoenas to former government officials requesting a broad swath of records, including paper or digital documents, text messages and emails associated with the preparation of the intelligence community’s January 2017 assessment.
In recent weeks, updated subpoenas that expanded the date range for the documents were issued in the matter.
Miami, FL
Firefight at NW Miami-Dade warehouse enters 2nd day: ‘It burned it all up’
Video shows bright orange flames still burning at a warehouse in Northwest Miami-Dade on Friday, almost 24 hours after crews first responded.
The flames broke out before 11 a.m. Thursday, sending towers of thick black smoke into the sky, and crews have been attempting to put the fire out since.
Officials said the structure located just east of Red Road and south of Florida’s Turnpike Extension is more than twice the size of a Costco warehouse and contains hazardous materials inside.
More than 200 firefighters from both Broward and Miami-Dade counties have been fighting the blaze, which officials say could burn for days.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Lives spared, livelihoods lost
Miami-Dade Deputy Fire Chief Danny Cardeso said no injuries were reported.
The driver of an 18-wheeler told NBC6 he was at the warehouse, which stores inventory for shipments, when the fire alarm went off.
He said everyone immediately evacuated, no one was hurt, and everyone inside was accounted for. Still, some workers and business owners fear they lost their livelihoods.
Benny Monción, who owns DBenny Sazón, one of the food trucks parked at the facility, was in tears when she spoke to NBC6 at the scene.
She said a friend of hers who also owns a food truck called to tell her how he fared.
“He called me just now, we were watching the news, and my truck was still intact, but his, the fire got it,” she said, her voice breaking as she put her head in her hand. “It burned it all up.”
She said she wasn’t sure what had happened to her truck, which normally operates on 50 North University Drive in Pembroke Pines, as the fire raged.
“I ask God that mine at least can be OK, but I feel so bad [that his didn’t make it], because these are hardworking people, looking to earn their daily living that in this country is too hard,” Monción said. “It’s so many things.”
Air quality concerns
A public safety alert was issued at one point Thursday due to the heavy smoke. The alert recommended those with respiratory problems and medical conditions to shelter in place if possible.
Dr. Donny Perez, a medical director at Memorial Regional Hospital South, said fires like this can send fine particles into the air that can irritate the lungs and cause coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, sore throat, chest pain and palpitations.
“Even their eyes can get irritated, the sore throat. So the best thing is to stay indoors with the windows closed, avoid outdoor exercise. Wear an N-95 mask if you must go outside. Use your rescue inhalers as prescribed if you do have lung disease,” he said.
Resident Gloria Downey said the smoke was concerning, especially with the uncertainty about what materials could be burning.
“I mean I don’t know what’s in that building, but I have lived here since before that building was built off and on, and God knows what’s in there,” she said. “We have the house completely sealed. We have air filters running in both rooms. The air condition is off. It’s a little hot in Miami, but we’ll be all right.”
Drought and wind may hinder firefight
Winds on Friday are blowing consistently at 10-20 mph toward the northwest, pushing the smoke over a nearby landfill and out over the Everglades.
“Just a couple of spotty little showers here, not enough to really help with the fire,” NBC6’s meteorologist Adam Berg said. “But the winds certainly don’t help.”
Traffic impacts
Officials asked people to avoid the area while they worked to put out the fire. Northwest 47th Avenue is closed between Honey Hill Drive (Northwest 199th Street) to Northwest 207th Drive.
Take Northwest 57th Avenue as an alternate route.
Miami, FL
Miami Gardens mother gets probation after her 2-year-old shot himself
A mother in Miami Gardens has been sentenced to five years of probation after her 2-year-old son accidentally shot himself with a gun he found in her purse.
According to police, the incident happened last summer at an apartment complex in Miami Gardens. Authorities say the toddler grabbed his mother’s firearm from her purse and accidentally pulled the trigger, shooting himself in the leg.
Video captured at the scene showed the child being rushed to the hospital on a stretcher. The boy survived and has since fully recovered.
The child’s mother, 35-year-old Christina Monique Doyle, was arrested and charged with child neglect and culpable negligence for allowing easy access to the weapon. Prosecutors said those charges carried a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
During a court hearing, the presiding judge, Alberto Milian, emphasized the responsibility that comes with gun ownership.
“I am a very pro-gun person, but along with the right and the privilege of having a gun comes responsibilities,” Milian said.
Doyle ultimately accepted a plea deal where she pleaded no contest, allowing her to avoid jail time. Instead, she was sentenced to five years of probation.
Her attorney, Dustin Tischler, said Doyle has no prior criminal record and described the incident as a mistake.
“She’s 35 years old, never been in trouble whatsoever in her life,” Tischler said. “She’s a very good mother, a very caring mother to several children. This has been a nightmare, and she’s happy to get it behind her.”
Tischler also said the case should serve as a warning to gun owners about keeping firearms secure around children.
“Even though she had it in her purse and thought it was secure, the child was able to get to it when she was distracted,” he said. “If you have a firearm, it’s important to keep it locked away.”
Tischler said Doyle has completed a parenting program through the Florida Department of Children and Families and how she is allowed to have contact with her children, including her son who is now doing well after recovering from the injury.
NBC6 reached out to DCF about the case but we haven’t heard back yet.
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