The Miami Heat have been mired in controversy ever since it was made apparent that their six-time All-Star and 2023 Eastern Conference Finals MVP Jimmy Butler was no longer content with being a part of the franchise.
Their 17-16 record combined with Butler’s recent statements regarding his loss of joy for the game of basketball as a member of the Miami Heat have sent the NBA trade rumor mill into a frenzy as the Feb. 6 trade deadline rapidly approaches.
The 35-year-old Butler is averaging 17.6 points on a career-best 55.2% shooting from the floor paired with 1.2 steals through 22 appearances for the Heat this season, though his play has been halted by a recent seven-game suspension from the franchise due to “conduct detrimental to the team.”
While Butler could have plenty of leverage in deciding which franchise he’d like to close the season out with prior to his impending unrestricted free agency this summer, recent reports indicate that the Heat could pull off a trade that’s best for the organization.
In order to receive solid value for the expiring All-NBA superstar, Miami’s general manager Andy Elisburg could decide to throw the front offices of the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans into a conference call to hammer out the details on a three-team deal centered around Butler, another All-Star forward and former Defensive Player of the Year guard.
“The Heat make the most of a bad situation by walking away with two win-now players like (Brandon) Ingram and (Marcus) Smart,” Fadeaway World’s Ishaan Bhattacharya wrote Monday morning.
“The Pelicans get assets for an expiring contract while the Grizzlies take massive steps toward contention by landing Butler.”
In a well-balanced trade proposal, Miami acquires both former Most Improved Player and crafty scoring threat Brandon Ingram from the 7-29 Pelicans and 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart from the Grizzlies.
This haul for Miami keeps the team in contention while supplying the Grizzlies with a player to potentially take them over the top in the Western Conference.
For New Orleans, the re-tooling franchise would land much-needed first-round draft capital and young talent in the form of a promising prospect in Haywood Highsmith along with veterans Luke Kennard, Brandon Clarke and Josh Richardson.
Ingram currently averages 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists on a solid 53.0% effective field goal percentage while Smart’s 110 defensive rating per 100 possessions isn’t far off from his figure of 107 that led to his Defensive Player of the Year award win three seasons ago.
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