As the NBA season moves closer to the trade deadline in February, trade rumors have begun to run wild.
One player who has been at the forefront of those rumors is the Miami Heat’s superstar, Jimmy Butler. Butler is signed through the 2025-26 season, but many executives around the league believe that he will opt out of his contract after this season and test the waters in free agency.
Because of this, the Heat are open to listening to offers for Butler according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Charania also reported that Butler’s top destinations are the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns.
While these teams are currently the front runners to land the six-time All-Star, a former Boston Celtics’ legend believes that a different Western Conference team is the best fit for him
“If I had to guess, if I had to put my GM cap on, the best fit for Jimmy Butler would probably be the Denver Nuggets,” said Celtics’ great, Paul Pierce, on a recent episode of Fox Sports 1’s “Speak“. “I think they need another go-to guy to help (Nikola Jokić) out.”
While the Denver Nuggets do need to give Jokić help like Pierce said, it would be difficult for Denver to pull off a trade for Butler, but it can be done.
Denver has had a down season this year as they sit seventh in the Western Conference standings with a 12-10 record. Jokić is once again playing like the MVP frontrunner, but he can only take the Nuggets so far if the supporting cast continues to let him down.
Butler would be a good fit in Denver thanks to his defensive play and scoring abilities. The Nuggets have one of the NBA’s worst defenses, so adding a defensive-minded player in Butler to their roster would only improve it.
The 35-year-old would also take the pressure off Jokić offensively. Butler is averaging 19 points per game this season in Miami, which would be tied with Michael Porter Jr. for second on Denver’s roster behind Jokić.
With the Nuggets interested in making a move to retool their lineup, do not be surprised if they contact Pat Riley and Miami to try and work out a deal for the veteran superstar.
More NBA: Former Wizards’ star takes shot at Nuggets’ three-time MVP Nikola Jokić
