Jimmy Butler traded to the Miami Heat
The Miami Heat can’t find an identity thus far this season, sitting at a record of 3-4 paying a bunch of pretty good players $12-19 million for a hopeful playoff season this year.
This move giving them a 4-time All-Star that is an Eric Spoelstra dream player could potentially be the best haul they see in all of these deals.
Sending Jimmy Butler to Miami to pair up with All-Star Goran Dragic, Justise Winslow, Bam Adebayo, and their team of ‘Rudy’ like players could really make for an interesting team in the East this year – definitely creating a playoff squad.
Gorgui Dieng would be a candidate for the back up center position, unless Miami goes the Kelly Olynyk route at that big man spot.
Moreover for Minnesota, losing Dieng and his contract to upgrade at the position tenfold with Hassan Whiteside would be a very interesting deal. Much like the Andre Drummond deal with Detroit a few slides back, that could be a fun duo with Whiteside and Towns.
Josh Richardson is a relentless beast, and is probably the closest player that resembles Jimmy Butler in the league.
Richardson is averaging close to 20 PPG and is one of the leagues best defensive players, ultimately he would help in a very similar way that Butler helps to the Minnesota lineup without the selfishness or uncomfortable attitude differences with the rest of the roster’s stars in Towns and Wiggins.
Going off of that, I’ve paid close attention to Richardson over the past few weeks, and he’s just a nice dude – why not make this deal? Especially if Pat Riley throws in the unprotected first?
I would do it without the first, but I guess that’s why I’m not Tom Thibodeau – can’t tell if that’s bad or good.