Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have been adamant that they're not willing to break up their young core for a veteran start at the moment and with the start that they've had to the season, it's hard to blame them. However, if the Rockets still did have a genuine interest in Jimmy Butler ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline, there's still a way the team could land him via trade without having to break up their young core. Whether they'd want to make such a move to shake up their roster in-season is another question that would have to be answered.
But, theoretically, the path is there for the Rockets to make such a move. This hypothetical deal would revolve around the Rockets sending out Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams, Jae'Sean Tate, and a 2027 first-round pick to the Heat in exchange for Jimmy and Terry Rozier. This would be quite the blockbuster move for both sides and there may be some natural reserveations from both the Rockets and Heat before moving forward to get this deal done. But there's reason why it could make sense for them.
Let's begin with the Heat. While they wouldn't be making this move to remain competitive in the Eastern Conference, this is the move that could help them reset on the fly. This is one of those cap-clearing trades that the Heat should be open to in order to give them added flexibility heading into the offseason. VanVleet has a team option the Heat could decline for next season and both Adams and Tate are on expiring contracts after this season. The 2027 first-round pick may be protected but it does give the Heat another asset to work with.
Would Miami be open to that? Historically, who knows? But it's certainly a deal that could make a ton of sense for the team. The big question revolves around whether the Rockets would even put such a deal on the table. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if they would. With the way the team has started this season, tampering this much with their roster would be a huge gamble. And unless things begin to fall apart between now and the NBA Trade Deadline, it could be viewed as somewhat of a foolish move.