Former NBA champ says Heat must 'do right by' Jimmy Butler and trade him
The Miami Heat have lost their last seven games. Their current production looks drastically different from the team we saw reach the NBA Finals last season. Head coach Erik Spoelstra's team currently sits 22nd in offensive rating.
Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins believes it's time the Heat hit the reset button. He wants team president Pat Riley to do right by Jimmy Butler and trade him to a contending team before the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
"It's time for the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler to go their separate ways," Perkins said. "I believe the Miami Heat need to do right by Jimmy and trade him to a team that could actually compete for a title this season and Jimmy needs to accept that... Jimmy Butler is 34 years of age. Everyone else is 30 years and younger...This Heat team is not going to have a magical run again. So, we don't know how much time we're gonna have to see playoff Jimmy. And we want to see playoff Jimmy. It's just not gonna be with the Heat. So I feel like it's time for them to part ways."
It's hard to judge the Heat based on their current struggles. Spoelstra's team had similar issues last season; they had to qualify for the playoffs via the play-in tournament. That didn't stop them from charging to the NBA Finals, proving Miami to be a team that can never be counted out.
It's unlikely Riley would consider trading Butler. He would need to request a trade for Miami to entertain the idea of losing their star player. Instead, the Heat will likely continue to build around him. They will find players that accentuate his skillset and match his competitive edge on both sides of the floor.
However, if the Heat continue their slide and somehow manage to miss out on the postseason, there might be some difficult decisions to make in the summer. Butler will be entering his age-35 season later this year and will have two years remaining on his $146 million deal, with an average income of $48 million.
If Miami feels like Butler is starting to decline, they may cut their losses and look to build around 26-year-old Bam Adebayo. At the moment, however, it's hard to imagine the Heat falling far enough down in the Eastern Conference standings that they don't have a chance to make the playoffs.
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