Confirmed deal : Unlikely Knicks Trade Pitch Reunites Jimmy Butler and Tom Thibodeau

 

 

The NBA’s trade deadline is months away, but rumors are circling the league about the availability of Jimmy Butler. If the Miami Heat decide to move on, does a trade reuniting him with Tom Thibodeau on the New York Knicks make sense?

 

Butler is in the second season of a three-year, $146 million deal signed in 2023, with a salary of $48.7 million this season.

Contending teams will have a hard time putting together packages for the six-time All-Star, but the package below would get him to the Knicks

 

 

Miami receives: Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson, future first-round pick

Butler is 35, but playing All-Star level basketball. He’s averaging 19 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game for a 12-10 Heat team

 

New York, at 15-10, has undermined preseason expectations, after acquiring Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. Swinging for the fences and admitting a loss on the Bridges deal in a subsequent trade for Butler isn’t the worst move to recalibrate.

 

In a worst case scenario, Butler declines his player option for next season and signs elsewhere. Consider 2024 first-round pick Ware a consolation prize, or insurance for that situation.