National Basketball Association
Best landing spots for disgruntled Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler
National Basketball Association

Best landing spots for disgruntled Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler

Updated Jan. 4, 2025 2:06 p.m. ET

Can Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat get back on compatible terms?

In the words of Butler himself: "probably not." And in the wake of a Thursday night report that Butler would prefer to be traded, and a Friday night statement from the Heat that the five-time All-NBA honoree had been suspended seven games for "conduct detrimental to the team," Butler's days in South Beach appear numbered.

Butler, 35, is averaging the fewest points per game (17.6) he's averaged since the 2013-14 season and is expected to test unrestricted free agency this summer, but the team willing to take that risk with him could be rewarded greatly in the postseason.

Here are the three best trade fits for Butler:

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3. Memphis Grizzlies

The No. 2-seeded Grizzlies are firing on all cylinders this season — but do you know when else they were "rolling"? The 2021-22 season and the one that followed. Those two seasons ended with second- and first-round playoff exits, and in embarrassing fashion. Memphis could make a swing for Butler to get over the hump.

Yes, the Grizzlies lead the NBA in scoring (123.5 points per game) and aren't overly reliant on any one player, not even Ja Morant. Jaren Jackson Jr., who's averaging a team-high 22.3 points per game, has become an All-NBA-caliber player; Desmond Bane can handle the rock, attack the rack and knock down shots from the perimeter; rookie center Zach Edey has been plug-and-play; Santi Aldama, Jaylen Wells and Scottie Pippen Jr. continue to progress.

At the same time, Butler would be a veteran, star complement to a vibrant core that hasn't entered its collective prime. The experienced Butler is a bonafide go-to scorer who has been part of two teams that reached the NBA Finals and been to the playoffs with four different teams (Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, Heat). Furthermore, he wouldn't be asked to be the Grizzlies' No. 1 scorer, rather someone who serves as a secondary source of offense but can still carry that scoring burden on any given night. The Grizzlies have the talent. What they need is the veteran linchpin.

Memphis could send Marcus Smart, Brandon Clarke, John Konchar and a 2026 first-round pick to Miami for Butler. While Smart and Clarke are valued members of head coach Taylor Jenkins' rotation, Butler provides an offensive element they haven't had in recent years, that being a proven isolation scorer from the outside. Miami gets a pair of immediate rotation players, if not starters, and a first-rounder for its troubles.

However, the Grizzlies may prefer not to make a drastic trade in the thick of an encouraging season, rather let the season play out and mull a pursuit of Butler or a player of his ilk in the offseason.

2. Orlando Magic

The Magic are 21-15 with Paolo Banchero (oblique) having played just five games, Franz Wagner (oblique) being out indefinitely and Moritz Wagner (torn ACL) now out for the season. That's nothing short of remarkable, but the wheels are going to come off the vehicle at some point if Orlando doesn't get close to full strength or make a move at the trade deadline. Enter Butler.

Orlando is second in the NBA in points surrendered (103.4 points per game), but is also last in scoring (105.6 points per game). Butler reinforces a defensive identity and adds a needed source of offense. Wagner should return in the near future, and Banchero shouldn't be far off. Once both players are back in the fold, a scoring trio of Banchero-Butler-Wagner would be prolific.

Banchero is a budding star — in fact, he was an All-Star in his second season — who just led the Magic to Game 7 of a first-round playoff matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers as their No. 1 scorer, posting 27.0 points per game in that series; he plays and looks the part. Wagner has gotten more productive in each of his four NBA seasons and plays with aggression; he's averaging a career-high 24.4 points per game.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned scoring trio would be complemented by veterans like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Wendell Carter Jr., the emerging Jalen Suggs and rookie Tristan da Silva. Orlando already has a gritty group. Butler could be the missing piece that makes an ascending Magic team an NBA title contender.

Orlando could send Cole Anthony, Jonathan Isaac, Gary Harris and a pair of future second-rounders to Miami for Butler. While perhaps a steep player price for a potential rental, Orlando moves on from two players who aren't shoo-ins to being part of the team's long-term future for a player who could be the final piece to the puzzle. From Miami's perspective, they get two potential starters and a package based more around retooling than rebuilding.

Despite all those positives, though, the Magic may not be able to get this team 100 percent healthy and on the same page down the stretch, which provides merit to waiting for the offseason to pull off a move of this magnitude. Plus, there's another ascending team that makes just a little more sense for Butler.

1. Houston Rockets

The Rockets are prepared for liftoff (don't cringe at the pun, embrace it), and Butler could be the player that puts them over the top.

Houston is the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with a young core that's headlined by Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green and one that was supplemented two offseasons ago by signing Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. Now it's time for Ime Udoka's team to make a blockbuster move.

Sengun can score in a variety of ways, and Green is fearless off the dribble, but the Rockets need more offensive oomph to make a deep playoff run. Butler would assume a similar role with the Rockets to the one that he took on with the Heat in 2019, where he served as the focal point for a team with budding young players like Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, who now look poised to become the co-faces of Miami's operation post-Butler.

Butler likely becomes Houston's go-to player in crunch time. Over time, Green, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason and more could benefit from Butler attracting that attention and having an accomplished scorer like Butler to lean on. Houston is an elite defensive team (it's surrendering 106.7 points per game, which is third in the NBA). Butler fits in with that identity, but, more importantly, gives the Rockets a proven scoring threat that has performed at an elite level in the postseason. 

Houston could trade Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr. (he suffered a hand injury and will miss the next month) and Steven Adams for Butler. While a former No. 3 pick and a tantalizing offensive player, Smith hasn't panned out with the Rockets and likely doesn't have the runway to do so in Houston given its amount of young depth. The Heat can give Smith that runway and also get an immediate starter in Brooks. Houston makes a move with the NBA title on its mind, and Miami pivots in savvy fashion.

The Rockets would have the inside track on keeping Butler should he indeed opt out after this season. They also have plenty of ammunition to pull off another seismic trade in both young players and first-rounders. Attaining Butler could be just the start for the Rockets.

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