The Miami Heat have performed well despite the ongoing Jimmy Butler trade saga acting as a storm cloud hovering over the franchise.
The Heat’s 19-17 record and position as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference could give the organization hope that they could remain dark-horse contenders in the East even after Butler is dealt.
In fact, recent reports suggest that Miami could consider reaching out to their playoff rival Milwaukee Bucks in an effort to negotiate a deal surrounding Butler. In order to successfully complete a deal, the Detroit Pistons would also be involved in a colossal three-team trade.
“As such, the 2021 NBA champions could make drastic roster changes ahead of the February 6 deadline to try and give Giannis Antetokounmpo a shot at winning another championship,” Heavy’s Sai Mohan wrote Thursday morning.
“One of those moves could involve the acquisition of Jimmy Butler, the disgruntled All-Star made available in trades by the Heat.”
“However, as a second-apron team, the Bucks face a lot of challenges in trying to acquire Butler.”
In a proposed deal for the six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection, the Bucks would end up parting ways with Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis, two key pieces to the team’s 2021 NBA Finals victory.
Milwaukee would land Butler in the deal to form an incredibly dangerous trio with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
By acquiring the 35-year-old with a reputation as one of the greatest postseason performers in recent history, the Bucks would instantly be thrown back into the hunt for a championship in 2025. Currently sitting one spot above Miami as the East’s No. 5 seed, the team would likely soar toward the top of the standings by season’s end.
This season, the two-way star is averaging 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting a career-best 55.2% from the floor.
For the Pistons, their role in the deal would be to absorb Pat Connaughton’s contract from Milwaukee and obtain second-round draft capital for taking part in the process.
Miami’s haul in the deal would be viewed as one that could surely help the team remain as a force in their conference.
A three-time All-Star, Middleton would provide a much-needed scoring punch to assist budding star Tyler Herro, while Portis’ reputation as one of the league’s best and most reliable bench assets would hopefully transfer over to his new organization.
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