'Don't know what Miami is gonna be': Former NBA champ proposes bold Jimmy Butler to East contender trade idea
With the way things have started for the Miami Heat, they should consider trading All-Star Jimmy Butler to an East contender at some point this season. This is according to one-time NBA champion and now basketball analyst Kendrick Perkins.
The former Boston Celtics player shared on ESPN’s "NBA Today" that Philadelphia is a good possible destination for Butler. Perkins said there are a lot of uncertainties going on in Miami at the moment and a trade involving its star player could provide answers.
Perkins said:
"What about Jimmy Butler? Miami is struggling... Do we think the Heat will make one of those runs again this postseason? Absolutely not."
The Heat are coming off a scintillating run last season where they reached the NBA Finals despite being the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Unfortunately, they have gotten to a slow start this season, losing four straight, including Wednesday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, 109-105, after winning their season-opener on October 25 against the Detroit Pistons.
Jimmy Butler has had averages of 16.5 points, 7.25 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and a steal in 33 minutes of play in the four games he has played so far.
Interestingly, if Butler gets traded to the Sixers as Perkins proposed, he would return to the team he partly played for in the 2018-19 season, where he averaged 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, four assists and 1.8 steals in 55 games. He also helped Philadelphia reach the Eastern Conference semi-finals against eventual champions Toronto Raptors that year.
Jimmy Butler reeling from Heat missing out on Lillard
Jimmy Butler was looking forward to playing alongside fellow All-Star Damian Lillard this season with the Miami Heat until negotiations failed and “Dame" made his way to the Milwaukee Bucks instead.
The Heat star said it was tough to miss out on a talent like Lillard but recognized that it is just the way things work in negotiations and it was unfortunate things did not go their way.
But despite the setback, Jimmy Butler said he and the Heat would just continue competing and beat every team standing in their way, including Lillard and the Bucks.
He said during media day prior to the start of training camp:
"I was sad, I was excited and then angry and then sad and then excited again and then pi**ed off and then sad again, and now I'm excited ... I don't tell anybody how I feel. I just handle it accordingly... I am happy for Damian Lillard... I’m gonna go beat Dame, Giannis, and Adrian Griffin on our way to a title.”
The Heat, however, are off to a bad start this season, sporting a 1-4 record.