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.