Grade the Trade: Heat retool as Jimmy Butler is sent to Rockets in monster proposal

Grading the deal for the Houston Rockets

Heading into the offseason, there's a very good chance the Houston Rockets are going to be aggressive via the trade market. There are already whispers that the team could end up trading one of their young players in an attempt to make a win-now move. If those rumors are accurate, you can almost bet that Jalen Green is going to be the one floated on the trade market. If the Rockets wanted to make a win-now move, a bold proposal for Jimmy Butler could make some sense. He's a player that has proven to be a winner in the playoffs and would offer the necessary veteran experience this team needs. Add in the fact that Jimmy is from Houston, and this trade makes even more sense.

From a business and basketball perspective, it's easy to see why this deal could work for the Rockets. Ultimately, what this deal comes down to is whether the Rockets believe in Green still or not. If they still believe he can be a superstar player, the Rockets don't even think about this type of move. However, because of his constant inconsistencies as a young player, the Rockets may no longer believe Green has that potential anymore.

If that's the case, flipping him for a 1-2 year window for Jimmy could pay off in several ways. The Rockets don't have to worry about giving Green an extension that he's probably not worthy of yet and the Rockets would automatically become a strong playoff contender in the Western Conference with a core of Jimmy, Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith, and Alperen Sengun.

This is far from a perfect deal for the Rockets, considering they'd be swapping the "what if" potential of a talented guard for an aging star. However, if Houston does want to make waves this offseason, this could be one path to take.

Grade: B+