Jimmy Butler (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
As he heads into his contract year, Miami Heat All-Star guard Jimmy Butler is a marquee name to follow in the NBA trade rumor mill.

Jimmy Butler is eligible to enter free agency next year, so it’s not far-fetched to believe that Pat Riley will consider trading his franchise player if he gets a quality offer that could benefit Miami in the long term.

Butler remains Miami’s most valuable player, but he’s also about to enter his age-35 season in 2024-25. The Heat were soundly defeated by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, a clear-cut reminder that their championship window with this core is rapidly closing.

Any team with championship aspirations in 2024-25 makes sense for Jimmy Butler, but Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors stand out as a logical landing spot following Klay Thompson’s departure for the Dallas Mavericks.

Stephen Noh of The Sporting News recently proposed a fascinating trade idea with the Warriors landing Jimmy Butler in a three-team deal involving the Detroit Pistons. In Noh’s proposal, the Dubs would acquire Butler, with Andrew Wiggins and three second-round picks going to Detroit.

As for the Heat, they would receive Moses Moody, Kevon Looney, Jonathan Kuminga and first-round picks in 2025 and 2027:

“As currently constructed, the Warriors clearly are not good enough to win a title. They missed the playoffs completely due in part to the disappearing act of Wiggins this season.

Butler would obviously be a massive upgrade over Wiggins. The Warriors haven’t had a reliable second scorer to take the pressure off Curry, and Butler could do that job. He’s still a great two-way player who could help the team get back to an elite level of defense as well. Butler does like to have the ball in his hands, but he’s also a smart cutter and great passer who could work well in the team’s motion-based offense.”

Last season, Butler averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per contest in 60 game appearances. Butler has averaged over 20 points per game in each of the last four seasons.

Miami Heat Should Trade Jimmy Butler Now

Perhaps no executive knows better than Riley that it’s best to get rid of a star player one year too early rather than a year too late. Rather than run it back with this ageing core, Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra should be open to dealing Butler for a package of valuable assets.

Jimmy Butler’s trade value isn’t going to get any higher. Miami would be better off trading him now and maximizing the return than a) waiting until mid-season to move him or b) risk losing him for nothing in free agency.