The Golden State Warriors are just one of the teams being linked with Jimmy Butler right now. The 35-year-old has been the face of the Miami Heat since joining the organization in 2019 and led them to two NBA Finals during that period of time. But his exit is starting to feel inevitable.

It is believed that Butler wanted a max contract extension from the Heat this past offseason but the organization were not keen to do that, as they wanted the 35-year-old to prove his fitness. Butler has had a history of injury problems and has already had a couple of spells on the sidelines this season.

As a result, it is unlikely that he would be getting a max extension from Miami. He has a player option for next season and as a result, the Heat trading Butler could very much be a possibility in the near future.

What would they want in return though? According to David Aldridge in The Athletic, the Heat are likely to look for proven players rather than future picks. He wrote:

“So if moving Butler brings back players that give Miami more of a shot, the Heat will engage. That likely means taking back players, rather than a deal featuring a bunch of future picks. Riles doesn’t do rebuilds. (Plus, he’s going to be 80 in March.)

“They’re not there yet. But, they’re listening.

“Butler is listening, too. He hasn’t asked to be traded from Miami, but if he stays, he wants the max.”

That makes sense as the Heat are pretty much always in ‘win now’ mode. Of course, it would be interesting to see what kind of a return they could get in return for Butler. Butler is one of the best postseason players in the league but he is also 35 years of age with a long injury history.

So, the Heat cannot be expecting a lot. Let’s take the Warriors for example. One would think that Andrew Wiggins would be part of any trade for Butler. The name of Jonathan Kuminga is going to come up as well. Is that going to make the Heat Championship contenders once again?