7. Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
If you take a quick glance at the Eastern Conference standings, there are probably some Miami Heat fans who would be "happy" with the team sitting in the 5th spot at this point in the season. However, even though the Heat are sitting in playoff position at the moment, the honest fans will tell you that this team has virtually no shot to make any type of noise in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The title window for this core is completely closed and there are many concerns for the team with how this season has begun.
For one, Bam Adebayo doesn't look like one of the best young stars in the league anymore. Even though there may be something more at play, Bam has not looked like himself so far this season. And if Bam is not going to look like himself, the Heat has no shot to defy the odds this season. Overall, even Jimmy Butler looks like he's lost another step, which is not all that surprising considering this is what happens to aging stars. If the Heat are honest with themselves, they'll quickly realize this team is just not good enough.
Odds of a Jimmy Butler trade: 24%
And if they're not good enough to make a deep playoff run in the East, it makes little to no sense to keep this core beyond the NBA Trade Deadline - even less so if the Heat isn't convinced that they are going to give Jimmy the huge extension he's going to be seeking during the offseason. Jimmy is going to get his money and if it's not going to come from the Heat, it will come from another team. At this point, Miami has to know if they're going to extend Jimmy or not. And if they aren't, trading him at the deadline is a must.
I know the Heat loves to hold on for way too long to some players and risk losing them for nothing during the offseason but that can't happen with Jimmy. Miami can't afford to lose him for nothing and if the writing is already on the wall, there has to be at least a small chance that the Heat would be willing to trade Jimmy ahead of the deadline. For now, I'd still say the chance is small. However, if the Heat continues to sputter in mediocrity, it should slowly begin to rise.