Grade the Trade: Jimmy Butler reunites with Joel Embiid in Philly; Heat enter rebuild in blockbuster proposal

Grading the deal for the Miami Heat

Unless the Miami Heat is able to land another All-Star talent this summer that would fit almost perfectly next to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, such as a Donovan Mitchell or a Kevin Durant, it's hard to envision this team playing much of a factor in the Eastern Conference next season. There are many that are quick to blame the injuries on the Heat's struggles this season, but that's a copout. Even if they were completely healthy heading into their first-round playoff series, this team wasn't going to beat the Boston Celtics.

If the Heat isn't going to add another star player to act as a missing piece to this core, then perhaps it may be time to reshuffle the core a bit. And if the Heat has to make a decision between Jimmy and Bam, we know what the answer should be. Jimmy is going to be 35 years old at the start of next season and Bam is still in the peak of his prime years as a soon-to-be 27-year-old.

If it comes to it, this could be a deal that makes a ton of sense for the Heat. Miami would restock their tradable draft capital, opening themselves up to make a move for a younger All-Star player that could fall in line better with Bam's prime. This is not a perfect situation for Miami but this type of deal would exactly be the definition of making lemonade out of lemons.

Grade A-