NBA Rumors: Exploring 1 blockbuster trade that would help the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler both emerge as winners.
The Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler are not in a good place. At this point, a divorce between the two sides appears to be an "if" and not "when" situation. Jimmy wants a trade and the Heat, as you would expect, want to be patient and do what's best for the team. Generally speaking, these are the types of situations where there are rarely winners on both sides.
Nevertheless, as both teams look for a natural path forward, I can't help but wonder if there is a possible blockbuster trade that could end up making sense for all sides involved. The Heat would have to get creative, while also needing some outside help. But if things do fall in their favor over the next couple of weeks, perhaps there is one blockbuster multi-team trade that could help the Heat and Jimmy both emerge as winners from this entire situation.
What the multi-team blockbuster trade would look like:
Why it may not work
Of course, if there is one thing that could hold up such a deal, it could be the Sacramento Kings and Beal. First, let's begin with the Kings' side of things. There's a chance that Sacramento wouldn't be thrilled about making such a move. But if the Kings did want to avoid blowing up their roster and heading down the path of another long-term rebuild, this could be a way to retool the roster on the fly.
Beal may not be in the prime of his career anymore but he's still a quality player. If they could swap Fox for Beal and add six total draft picks (two unprotected first-round picks), it could make such a deal worth it. The Kings could stockpile those picks in pursuit of another star in the future while also remaining somewhat competitive with the addition of Beal. It could be a tough sell, but if the Kings would come around, perhaps it would work.
Aside from the issues with the Kings, Beal is another part of this deal that could shut it all down. He has a no-trade clause and would have to agree to any deal that he's involved in. I'm not sure why Beal wouldn't waive his no-trade clause but we have seen stranger things in the league before. Maybe he'd be open to a fresh start and with just a couple of years remaining on his contract, perhaps playing next to Domantas Sabonis in California isn't the worst potential outcome for him.
This does seem like a longshot of deal to get done but this may be one of the few ways the Heat can save face with the fanbase while also rewarding Jimmy by sending him to a contender of his choosing for his contributions to the team over the last few years.