Grade the Trade: Warriors deal Kuminga for Miami star in sizzling high-risk pitch
Laying out a Jimmy Butler trade
The situation between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat does not appear to be copacetic.
Butler clearly wants to sign a maximum veteran extension with the team, and the Heat are reluctant to do so due to Butler's age and injury history. The 13-year veteran and five-time All-NBA selection will turn 35 years old before the start of next season and missed the entire postseason with another injury.
The Heat are also not conducting business like a team trying to maximize their winning potential this season around Butler. They let Caleb Martin walk in free agency and re-signed Bam Adebayo to a new extension, and other than re-signing Haywood Highsmith and adding Alec Burks at the minimum they don't look like a team that will be anywhere but the Play-In Tournament at season's end.
If the Heat are lining things up to compete during the heart of Adebayo's prime, and not whatever prime Butler has left, they could be open to a lucrative trade offer from a team that is desperate not to reset but to maximize their title window in the here and now. That team is the Warriors, and here is what a trade offer could look like to convince the Heat to move their star forward:
Butler Kuminga trade
The Detroit Pistons get involved because of the financial constraints of both the Warriors and the Heat. The Miami Heat are hanging around the second tax apron, and this deal is legal for a second apron team: Miami is sending out just a single player, and they are bringing in less salary than they send out. The Warriors likewise take back a few thousand dollars less by routing Kevon Looney to Detroit, allowing them to make this deal despite being up against the first tax apron.
The Pistons add a high-upside second-round pick in exchange for taking on the salary of Kevon Looney. They have a bevy of young centers in Jalen Duren, Paul Reed and Isaiah Stewart and could benefit from a veteran voice, in addition to potentially needing him to play if Stewart is moved in a trade as has been rumored.
Will this trade work for the Miami Heat? And what about the Warriors?