A well-rounded retooling for the Miami Heat
If there's another team lingering that could be a facilitator in a Jimmy Butler blockbuster deal, we may look no further than the Charlotte Hornets. Even though the Hornets have shown some promising signs this season, this is a team that is very much in the early stages of a rebuild. At the trade deadline, they'll be in the market for future assets to help the team continue on this promising path into a new era of Hornets basketball. It wouldn't be all that surprising if they emerged as a team willing to help both the Heat and Warriors get something done at the trade deadline.
In this deal, to help this deal get done, the Hornets would get Nikola Jovic, De'Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson, two second-round picks (via GS), and two second-round picks (via MIA). The only way in which the Hornets would want to participate in this deal is if they're high on Jovic. There's really no way to predict if they are one way or another but he essentially acts as an additional first-round pick in this exchange. Selling Charlotte on taking on the contract of Anderson could also be a huge ask but perhaps they could view him as a future trade asset too.
For the Warriors, they would get Jimmy and Cody Martin. It's pretty simple why they could be interested in adding Martin while losing two key contributors at the heart of this swap. Miami would get Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Nick Richards, and Vasilije Micic in total. Aside from the centerpiece of this deal, the Heat would get a capable backup or starting center in Richards and a veteran guard to add even more depth to the backcourt with Micic. This is a deal that would help give the Heat even more depth to their talented roster.
In the end, the ball seems to be in the Heat's court. There appear to be plenty of pathways toward getting a Jimmy deal done. And there are likley going to be suitors. That's what we do know. What is uncertain is how serious the Heat is in trading Jimmy. It's a huge decision and will certainly impact this team's future in a big way. At least for now, there's no guarantee one way or another. But if they wanted, there are certainly ways the Heat can do right by Jimmy while also retooling their roster to remain competitive on the fly.