Heat need to do more than just a Jimmy Butler trade

Every sitcom has a "Will they, won't they?" storyline. The notion that a pairing or couple may or may not be in it for the long haul is enthralling, and watching their best and worst moments play out in front of you is a thrill. 

Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are that couple. The Ross and Rachel. The Penny and Leonard. The Elena and Stefan. On Tuesday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Heat could be open to parting ways with their aging All-Star forward. As a result, the rumor mill has been working overtime. 

During a recent episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast," the veteran analyst shared his thoughts on Miami's situation. He noted that trading Butler is not a fix-all but the first step on a bigger journey. 

“If you’re Miami, where are you going? You’re light years away from that Boston, OKC, Cleveland group," Simmons said. "You’re not even really a second-tier contender, you’re probably a second-and-a-half-tier contender. And maybe you could use Butler’s contract; you can put Rozier with it, you could try to create a new world for yourself where you are just paying [Tyler] Herro and Bam [Adebayo] and Duncan Robinson’s last year and some other things and you’re under $110 million heading into free agency this summer with a lot of options. You might just want to blow it up this year and redo it.”

Miami's roster has been a smorgasbord of different talent levels for years. Pat Riley has overpaid some players, underpaid others, and lost key contributors to free agency. As such, the cap sheet is a mess, and Erik Spoelstra is being asked to work miracles to keep the franchise competitive. 

Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and potentially Jaime Jaquez Jr. are young enough to embrace a rebuild on South Beach. For a full roster reset to occur, Riley must embrace a talent fire sale, bringing back as many future assets as possible. 

The Heat have tried to retool on the fly, but it hasn't worked. Sure, it's made for great TV. Their run to the 2023 NBA championships was an amazing Cinderella story, but in truth, that further clouded the front office's judgment. 

Simmons hit the nail on the head. Moving Butler should be the dawn of a new era. A shining beacon that Miami has hit reset and is welcoming fresh young talent. Every good sitcom has a breakup period. Miami is long past due for a reset, even if it means some hard conversations have to take place before now and the Feb. 6 trade deadline.