By the looks of things, I may be writing yet another "Trade Talk" article in the near future about Jimmy Butler. I'm sure I've chimed in the past before about how Butler is a noncommitted star. He's fully a product of the player-empowerment era, and it's still a few of those dudes lurking around the league.
Now there's two things about Butler that must be remembered as he demands a trade from the Heat. First is that a few years back, he was more or less considered to be the best two-way player in the league. Whether or not that was true is a matter of debate. But the thing to keep in mind is that the vast majority of players never enter that conversation, at all.
Second is, oh shit, Jimmy is making a whopping $50mil this year(!). I'm not going to even get into whether he's overpaid or not. The point is that in the NBA, the higher a player's salary, the more difficult it usually is to trade him.
I haven't really been following the Butler trade rumors, but when I do come across such headlines, they're usually in relation to the Warriors. Do I support the idea of Jimmy going to Golden State? Yeah, why not. Do I think his presence will make them contenders? No, but with the Dubs (and Steph) you never know.
BUTLER NO LONGER IN MIAMI'S TIMELINE
There's been a lot of drama, and we may even say embarrassment, associated with Jimmy demanding a trade from the Heat. This isn't the type of organization that usually goes through such ordeals. But maybe Butler's sudden, unexpected display childishness is a blessing for them in disguise.
Bam Adebayo has pretty much emerged as the man in Miami. I don't know if I'd actually say he's better than Butler, but he is younger and healthier.
Meanwhile, Tyler Herro has just been named an All-Star reserve. This is the same Tyler Herro who I was clamoring for the Lakers to acquire a season or two ago. Instead, as far as jump-shooting whiteboys go, they've committed to Austin Reeves (and Dalton Knecht) - not a bad decision, but I doubt if he'll ever be an all-star.
Bam is 27, Tyler is 25, and Jimmy is 35. So, you do the math.
KUMINGA WOULD BE A BETTER FIT IN MIAMI
Meanwhile, over the Dubs' land, we have perennial underachiever Jonathan Kuminga. Readers of this blog know two things. One is that I am, or was, a big Kuminga fan. And secondly, I feel that, at least up until recently, his development has been stunted by the Warriors.
Kuminga is only 22 years old but still fits more into the Miami's current timeline than Butler does. I'm calling him an underachiever, even though he's the third-leading scorer in Golden State at approx 17ppg. That's because when I do come across his name in articles, half of the time his game is not being spoken of favorably. He's developed into sort of an Andrew Wiggins himself.
Also, Kuminga doesn't appear to be much of a defensive force (for his size). But all things considered, I would still be down for trading him for Jimmy Butler, like straight up.
But again, there are obstacles. Jonathan is only making about $8mil this year, compared to Butler's $48mil. Also, oh sh*t, it appears that Steph (and Steve Kerr) don't even want Jimmy like that to begin with.
BUTLER A BETTER FIT FOR THE SUNS
What that same report puts forth is it being most likely that Jimmy is traded to the Suns for Bradley Beal. Both teams are reportedly interested in bringing that transaction to past. Beal, at 31 and given his injury history, can also be considered an old-timer compared to Bam and co. But if Miami actually wants a player, like you don't question their braintrust.
As for the Suns', there own has proven less than impressive of late. Putting together a roster of incompatible stars is bad enough. But then, failing to make things work between them is even worse.
Honestly speaking, I don't see why any team would be 'aggressively' pursuing Butler. When he becomes disgruntled he quits, and he's had injury issues of late. Also, I don't quite see how he'll fit in next to KD + Booker. What those guys need are the type of support players who can make an impact without taking shots.
Jimmy Butler is one of the biggest names in the NBA, but all things considered, I don't feel excited about him being on the verge of changing teams. If he goes to the Warriors, by Steph's own admission things aren't likely to change much in terms of their ability to compete. And if he goes to the Suns, it would probably make their current 'how did they fail' season that much worse. Even though I'd rather see him Golden State - or more specifically Kuminga in Miami -, it'd make more sense for Jimmy to go to Phoenix, since they've adopted a build-a-roster-on-the-fly type of mentality anyway. That's perfect for transient stars like him and KD.
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