The Golden State Warriors hopes of landing Jimmy Butler may have seen a boost on Wednesday, with ESPN's Shams Charania reporting that the 6x All-Star would prefer a trade out of Miami before the February 6 deadline.
Not only are the Warriors reportedly on Butler's shortlist of preferred destinations, but they also appear in a far better position to actually execute a trade with the Heat in comparison to some of their rivals like the Phoenix Suns.
8-Player trade proposal lands Jimmy Butler with the Warriors
That doesn't mean that completing a deal with the Heat will be easy, with Butler's $48.8 million salary providing a significant stumbling block that will require the Warriors to relinquish at least four players in any potential deal.
It could even go beyond that, with Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report proposing an eight-player trade between the two teams that sees Golden State giving up some key rotation players and their two most talented young players. Here's how the proposed deal looks:
Golden State Warriors Receive: Jimmy Butler, Haywood Highsmith and Pelle Larsson
Miami Heat Receive: Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, Kevon Looney, Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, 2025 first-round pick (top-five protected) and 2027 first-round pick
Would the Heat make this trade?
If the Heat really don't want to pay Butler as the lack of an extension to this point would suggest, then this is a home run trade for them as tough as it may be to part with their franchise star.
Rather than potentially losing Butler for nothing in free agency during the offseason, Miami would get two talented young players in Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga. They would then have an opportunity to look at the latter over the remainder of the season before deciding whether they want to re-sign him as a restricted free agent.
The Heat would also get a very good starter in Andrew Wiggins who's having an excellent bounce-back season, while the two first-round picks could be very valuable particularly in 2027 when Butler will 37 and Stephen Curry 39-years-old.
Would the Warriors make this trade?
There's the very real argument to be made that Golden State should simply pick a direction and live with the results. This trade would bring that to fruition, with the Warriors relinquishing Kuminga and Podziemski to pair Butler with Curry.
Golden State would become a more dangerous playoff threat with that duo and Draymond Green, but they'd still have to get there which is no guarantee. Butler's injury history is a worry, particularly when he's replacing a usually very reliable and durable Wiggins who's barely missed time aside from the personal issues he's faced over the previous two seasons.
Haywood Highsmith would become a rotation player for the Warriors, having averaged a career-high 23.9 minutes with the Heat this season while shooting 41.9% from 3-point range. Pelle Larsson is also a young player with real talent, albeit not as highly credentialed as either Kuminga or Podziemski.
Summary:
Giving up both Kuminga and Podziemski is one thing, but giving up two future first-round picks on top of that is simply way overs given Butler's situation. If he had multiple years on his deal then Miami might hold some leverage, yet the ball should be in Butler's court and that of the team trading for him.
Combine that with Butler's age and injury history and this is an ill-advised price to pay, albeit it's a trade the Warriors might talk themselves into if they keep sliding down the Western Conference standings and increasingly get desperate on a big move.