At this point, it’s all but a given that Jimmy Butler will be traded away from the Miami Heat before the NBA trade deadline. The Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets have all been listed as possible landing spots, but any team with hopes of winning the Finals this year would want to see the league’s fiercest competitor in their jersey.
Starting in 2017, Butler spent a season and a half playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was traded after beating the starters in practice with only bench players on his team, telling the front office “You need me” on the way out and calling out Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins for being soft.
The day before Thanksgiving, the current face of the Wolves franchise, Anthony Edwards, called his team soft as well, although they have since gone on a 4-1 run. However, during that stretch, newcomers Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo have still struggled to fit in, shooting 42.6% from the floor and 30.4% from 3-point range, respectively.
In an effort to bring in someone who matches Edwards’ energy, the Wolves could target Butler on the trade market, sending Randle, DiVincenzo and Mike Conley to Miami for Butler, Alec Burks and Kevin Love, reuniting the Wolves with two former players.
Miami wouldn’t get any draft picks but would add three win-now players who could push the Heat into the postseason behind Bam Adebayo. The Wolves, meanwhile, go all-in on getting Edwards a real co-star who can be a locker room leader, and Love ending his career on a winning Wolves team would be incredibly poetic.
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