These days, there are more stories coming out about the Miami Heat’s drama than their on-court product. Most of these have been about All-Star forward Jimmy Butler, whose quest for a max contract extension with the Heat has been unsuccessful so far.

To be fair, Miami’s rationale for holding off on such a pricey commitment was reasonable. Though Butler is among the league’s best two-way players, they haven’t been able to count on his availability. The last time that Butler played in at least 65 games was 2018-19.

Hometown Rockets A Potential Trade Suitor For Heat’s Jimmy Butler

Heading into the 2024-25 season, Butler has changed his tune. Now, he says he has more than enough money; a very down-to-earth perspective. However, he hasn’t exactly said that he doesn’t want a max contract. Rather, he’s just more focused on basketball than business at the moment.

That being said, Butler’s also been rumored to be eyeing free agency rather than a contract extension. So, perhaps he wants max money, just from a different team. If so, the Brooklyn Nets are being painted as a potential destination.

The Houston Rockets are also “increasingly mentioned by monitoring rivals as a team to watch should Miami ever reach a point that it chooses to explore its trade options with” Butler, per longtime NBA insider Marc Stein.

Stein adds that it’s unlikely to be an in-season trade, as “the messaging that has emanated from Houston in the wake of contract extension agreements for Alperen Sengün and Jalen Green is that the Rockets should be classified as unlikely to make a significant in-season trade.”

Butler grew up in Tomball, TX, which is situated in the metropolitan area dubbed “Greater Houston.” His high school alma mater is less than 40 miles away from the Rockets arena.

Offseason Or In-Season?

After agreeing to rookie scale contract extensions with Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, the Rockets are projected to have $45.5 million in practical cap space. That’s not enough to sign Butler to a max contract. However, if the Rockets were to make Dillon Brooks —who’ll make $21.1 million next season —available, they may be able to execute a sign-and-trade for him.

Of course, sign-and-trade agreements are tricky, and not just because teams usually don’t want to help each other. Nonetheless, with the Rockets and Heat in different conferences, it’s a move that’s easier for Miami to stomach. Furthermore, it could prevent them from losing Butler for nothing in the offseason.

For Houston, it’s actually more feasible than an in-season trade. With fewer moving parts involved, there’ll be less hand-wringing about who should be moved. To that point, giving up Brooks for Butler isn’t really a difficult decision. Butler is a primary wing defender like Brooks, but he’s also a more dynamic scorer and potent playmaker.