The Miami Heat need to find a way to move on from Jimmy Butler fast to keep their Playoff-caliber season on track. Tyler Herro has emerged as the team's No. 1 offensive option, so the team can pivot to creating a strong and deep roster around Herro and Bam Adebayo with whatever deal they use to move on from Butler. Future assets are out of the question, but maybe a bunch of win-now players will do.
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It seems no team is as motivated to acquire Butler as the Phoenix Suns, but their prime trade asset - Bradley Beal - is not of interest to the Heat. The Toronto Raptors are reportedly looking to move off several veterans on their roster and by being a part of the Butler trade, they can get solid value for their players right now while also gaining future flexibility.
Similarly, the Brooklyn Nets are taking a long-term view on roster-building and might be convinced to help the Suns land Butler at the cost of another future asset. So could the four franchises somehow agree on a trade helping all of them get what they want? This mock proposal imagines that they do.
Trade Details
Miami Heat Receive: Bruce Brown ($23.0 million), Chris Boucher ($10.8 million), Davion Mitchell ($6.4 million)
Phoenix Suns Receive: Jimmy Butler ($48.7 million), D'Angelo Russell ($18.6 million)
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Bradley Beal ($50.2 million), Jusuf Nurkic ($18.1 million), 2031 First-Round Pick (PHX), 2026 Second-Round Pick (DEN)
Toronto Raptors Receive: Ben Simmons ($40.3 million), Trendon Watford ($2.7 million), 2031 Second-Round Pick (DEN), 2031 Second-Round Pick (MIA)
The Heat receive three win-now rotational players who can fill their current roster. The Suns finally land Butler and a guard scorer to come off the bench while getting rid of Jusuf Nurkic. The Nets get one of the most valuable future assets in the NBA while also absorbing veteran contracts ahead of a dud free agency class in 2025. Finally, the Raptors trade out the clutter on their roster for Simmons and Watford's expiring contracts.
The Heat Retool Their Roster
This deal allows the Heat to maximize Butler's outgoing value by bringing them a set of role-players who can greatly boost their winning hopes right now by filling out three key positions. A star or a huge draft return is simply not possible at this point in the trade saga, so this deal allows them to continue making a win-now push while gaining future flexibility.
Bruce Brown is averaging 6.0 points and 3.1 rebounds, recently making his season debut after being sidelined. The swingman has proven he's a winning player in the past and his play style would fit in well with the Heat. Chris Boucher is averaging 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, making the Heat's big-man depth more robust and dynamic with Boucher's ability to shoot.
Davion Mitchell is averaging 6.0 points and 4.5 assists as a combo guard who would be a great defensive complement to Herro in the backcourt. Given the defensive issues they've run into playing Herro with either Terry Rozier or Duncan Robinson, options like Mitchell and Brown will greatly boost the Heat's floor for success.
Erik Spoelstra is known for maximizing players with the role-player qualities these three players will bring to the Heat. Hopefully, he can do it on the fly this season and gauge if it works, as all three players can be made free agents in the summer, opening almost $50 million in cap space for the Heat.
The Suns Finally Land Their Dream Target
The one thing that's been clear over the last month is that the Phoenix Suns are first in line to acquire Jimmy Butler. The franchise has prioritized him as their target and seems to be motivated to get a deal done as well as extend Butler's contract. The Heat have refused to take on Bradley Beal, so the Suns cleverly find a way to send Beal to a team he won't refuse while landing the reinforcements they need.
Butler is averaging 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in a down year, although his effort and motivation have been questioned in games this season. D'Angelo Russell is averaging 12.4 points and 5.1 assists, joining the Nets in late December after the Los Angeles Lakers traded him. He would be a great bench scorer in Beal's absence and be reunited with close personal friend and college teammate Devin Booker.
Landing Butler will give them a complementary and reliable star while Russell is a solid bench scoring option that the team will require. He could start although Tyus Jones' skillset as a floor-manager would work better for Booker and Kevin Durant. They get rid of Jusuf Nurkic and the last vestiges of their future draft assets to go all-in on maximizing the Booker-Durant era.
Nets Take On Money
The Brooklyn Nets are in the most nascent stages of a rebuild, still breaking down the old core of their roster. They've started moving off players like Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith, but they can land a major draft asset by accepting both the Beal and Nurkic contracts while also moving on from the worst contract on their books right now.
Beal is averaging 17.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists this season and will likely be used sparingly this season to ensure the Nets can maximize their draft selection. Nurkic likely will get a chance to prove his value after averaging 8.6 points and 9.2 rebounds this season, angling him for a potential off-season trade when he'll be on an expiring contract.
The Nets forgo future cap space by taking these players in a pre-agency move, as there don't appear to be many top-line free agents hitting the market in 2025. Beal could be a great mentor to Cam Thomas and help the team be competitive next season amidst draft uncertainty.
Nurkic isn't long for the team, but playing in New York is something Beal would agree to as he helps the team re-establish itself in relevancy, opening the door for a contract extension, albeit of a much smaller dollar value.
The Raptors Get Assets And Maintain Flexibility
The Toronto Raptors have no reason to be active on the trade market at all unless it's to find value from other contending teams looking to make upgrades. They value their short-term flexibility to have the opportunity to build around Scottie Barnes, so they wouldn't be amicable to taking on Beal's contract and Beal likely wouldn't want to move to a new country and would veto this as a destination.
Instead, they send three veterans who aren't in their future plans to the Heat while landing Ben Simmons' massive expiring contract from the Nets. He's averaging xxx this season, showing signs of life and as a potential winning player down the line. For now, the Raptors can either offer him a contract buyout so Simmons can contribute to a winner or keep him until his $40.3 million comes off the books in the summer.
They land two second-round picks for their troubles and guaranteed salary flexibility if they want to make a run at free agents like Brandon Ingram to give Barnes and RJ Barrett a competitive co-star next season. It's a low-risk deal with a guaranteed reward, so the Raptors are incentivized to agree.
