1 Realistic NBA Trade Package to End Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler Saga

Unless you count Jimmy Butler trolling his own bosses by offering compliments to employees at the coffee shop he runs, we haven't seen much action since the Miami Heat star requested a trade.

Miami suspended Butler and announced it would listen to offers shortly after he asked to be dealt, but no deal has materialized yet.

Let's ditch Butler's preferred destinations (the Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors), all of which appear to rate somewhere between impractical and impossible on the probability scale, and rope in the suddenly scorching Sacramento Kings. Maybe we'll speak a mutually beneficial trade into existence.

The Trade

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MIAMI, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 04: Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat controls the ball against DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Sacramento Kings during the second half at Kaseya Center on November 04, 2024 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings Receive: Jimmy Butler

Miami Heat Receive: DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Huerter, Trey Lyles, 2027 first-round pick (top-10-protected; conditional)

A three-for-one swap means the Kings would need to add someone on a minimum or convert a two-way player to a standard contract to have the 13 players necessary for a full roster. Miami, on the flip side, would need to waive someone or re-route one of the incoming players to a third team.

The 2027 first-rounder would convey if the Kings' lottery-protected first-rounder goes to the Atlanta Hawks this summer. That's a reasonable expectation given Sacramento's recent surge and the theoretical boost Butler would provide.

The Kings Move into the 'Possible Contender' Tier

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MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 30: DeAaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings drives to the basket against Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat during the first quarter at American Airlines Arena on January 30, 2021 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)

Everything in Sacramento comes back to De'Aaron Fox, whose representation met with Kings brass earlier this year to discuss the franchise's long-term plans, per The Athletic's Sam Amick. Fox made clear his continued presence in California's capitol depends on the team "continuing to get better year after year."

Sacramento has no business putting a future pick on the table for what might be a Butler rental if it doesn't believe Fox will view the move favorably.

This is an admittedly odd time for a risky, win-now Kings trade. The team has won seven straight after dropping Doug Christie's debut, and the vibes are far better than they were just a couple of weeks ago. Of course, Sacramento's surge just barely got its record over .500. It's not easy to take that result to Fox and convince him it constitutes the kind of improvement he wants to see.

Adding Butler might be the best way to show Fox that the organization is committed to being something more than the first-round out it was two years ago. Maybe the six-time All-Star wouldn't guarantee a 50-win season for a Kings team that has spent most of January climbing out of the hole it dug in November and December, but his presence would give Sacramento a dangerous element it currently lacks.

Even when the Heat were just hanging around .500, you couldn't discuss their playoff viability without acknowledging Butler was one of the only players in the league with a demonstrated track record of lifting his team's level. Finals runs and repeated postseason overachievements were the norm. No one took the Heat lightly in do-or-die games because Butler had a way of willing his team to improbable victories.

If the Kings want to become something more than a one-and-done playoff pushover, they need that kind of high-risk ceiling-raiser. If Butler shows up, shines and gets his team into the second round or beyond, Fox will have to look at that and admit the Kings are doing everything possible to chase improvement.

In that sense, trading for an aging star could be the key to the Kings retaining the in-prime one they already have.

The Heat Stay Competitive and Land a Pick

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SACRAMENTO, CA - JANUARY 6: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Sacramento Kings dribbles the ball during the game against the Miami Heat on January 6, 2025 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Heat are not incentivized to tank, so any realistic trade package for Butler has to bring back legitimate win-now talent. While it'd be nice to hoard picks and clean up the books—which might not even be possible with so few suitors—Miami's best bet is to think of the present and immediate future.

If it doesn't convey its first-rounder (lottery-protected) to the Oklahoma City Thunder this year, the pick becomes unprotected in 2026. The same situation applies to a 2027 lottery-protected first-rounder Miami owes the Charlotte Hornets; it becomes unprotected in 2028 if not conveyed.

That's why DeRozan and Huerter (and Lyles, to a lesser extent) matter. The former comes with some of Butler's drawbacks—shaky three-point shooting, declining scoring and advancing age—but at less than half the price. DeRozan is still a 20-point scorer who has one more guaranteed year left after this one at $24.8 million.

Huerter's career 37.6 percent hit rate from deep and underrated facilitation would be an upgrade over what the Heat have gotten from Terry Rozier. With just one year and $17.9 million left after this one, Huerter could also be flippable for value over the summer or at next year's deadline.

If Butler were committed, this trade wouldn't necessarily upgrade Miami's roster for the rest of the year. But the Heat aren't going to get much production from Butler if they hang onto him, and the disruption he might create could sink the season. Better for Miami to bring in DeRozan as a high-scoring replacement, gladly take on a future first-rounder and move forward doing what it always does: trying to win in the short term.

Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Accurate through Jan. 13. Salary info via Spotrac.

Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@gt_hughes), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.