Jimmy Butler favored to land with Rockets if Heat trade him
12/17/2024 05:39 PM
The Houston Rockets have made headlines recently for their cycling through the trade rumor mill as well as their recent appearance in Las Vegas for the NBA Cup, in which they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Rockets have been arguably the league’s biggest surprise this year, currently tied for third place in the vaunted Western Conference over a quarter of the way through the schedule.
One of the biggest names that the Rockets have been tied to in recent weeks has been Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, and recently, some validity was added to those rumors when the Rockets became the favorites to be Butler’s next team if he is indeed traded, per the BetOnline sportsbook.
The Rockets currently have +150 odds to land the star, followed by the Golden State Warriors and the Dallas Mavericks.
Should the Rockets make a big trade?
There are varying schools of thought when it comes to up and coming young teams and when they cash in some of their assets in a “win now” move.
The Rockets have been very impressive this season and boast one of the league’s best defenses, but their offense clearly needs a bit more firepower in order to truly compete in the Western Conference.
Some would argue that Houston should take some time to let younger players like Jabari Smith, Cam Whitmore, and Reed Sheppard continue to develop and maybe they’ll turn out to provide enough offense for the Rockets down the road.
Others would argue that there are no guarantees in the NBA, and the wise thing to do would be to trade some of these assets for a player like Butler who could theoretically help the Rockets compete right now.
Of course, there’s no right answer to the dilemma, and there have been no reports of a Butler trade request or demand out of Miami. However, the Heat have underwhelmed this season, and Butler’s contract is up this summer, leading to rampant speculation that the Heat could begin fielding calls for their superstar.
Interestingly enough, Butler grew up in the Houston area, and he would certainly provide some stability and veteran leadership to one of the youngest teams in the NBA if the Rockets were to make the big swing.
In any case, the Rockets will next take the floor on Thursday evening at home against the New Orleans Pelicans at 8:00 PM ET.
The post Jimmy Butler favored to land with Rockets if Heat trade him appeared first on ClutchPoints.
