The NBA season is moving at a fast pace with games being played every day, as evidenced by the fact that the Emirates NBA Cup Quarterfinals start today and we’re just two weeks away from this year’s Christmas games.

With teams having played about 20-25 games, you can already get a sense of which teams are exceeding expectations (Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic) and which are falling short (Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Pelicans). There’s still a long way to go in the season, though, and teams can get better or worse when trades start happening between December 15 and February 6.

Speaking of trades, two names are expected to generate a lot of buzz in the coming weeks, according to NBA insider Shams Charania: Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat and Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Charania reports that Jimmy Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated within league circles that the six-time All-Star and Texas native would be “open” to a trade to the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets or Dallas Mavericks. Whichever team Butler joins would immediately become a serious title contender, which is exactly what Butler, now 35, wants after losing two Finals with the Heat – one to the Lakers in 2020 and the other to Jokic’s Nuggets in 2023.

Butler has a $49 million contract for this season, with a $52 million player option for 2025-26. The two sides did not agree to an extension last summer, likely because Butler received a stern warning from Miami Heat president Pat Riley during the offseason. This came after Butler publicly stated that if he hadn’t been injured in the playoffs, the Heat would have eliminated the Knicks and Celtics. Riley responded by telling Butler not to make such comments because the team was already eliminated and there was no point in looking back.

If Butler were to join the Warriors-who lack a solid second scorer outside of Curry-what could the Heat get in return? It’s reasonable to assume that Golden State would likely have to part with some of its young core, which includes forward Jonathan Kuminga, guards Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody, or possibly veterans like forward Andrew Wiggins and/or draft picks.

Given Miami’s strong track record of developing young talent, acquiring players like Kuminga and Podziemski would seem to be advantageous. However, from a fan perspective, replacing Butler, who is already a Heat legend, could make the team look worse. But sometimes teams need that, a rebuild, especially when you’ve been close to the title but then come up short.

The silver lining for Miami is that Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are having solid seasons, and qualifying for the playoffs is generally easier in the Eastern Conference than in the West. However, the Warriors are in desperate need of a second

All-Star to stay competitive. Additionally, integrating a player like Butler into a new team could take time, which could push the timeline for a trade to happen sooner rather than later this season. This situation mirrors moves like the Raptors’ OG Anunoby or Pascal Siakam trades last year – early season deals that jumpstarted the Raptors’ rebuild while boosting the playoff push for the Knicks and Pacers.

Any team looking to acquire Jimmy Butler should expect a high price and must approach it as a win-now situation. While Butler continues to be one of the best players in the NBA, time spares no one. During his years with the Heat, he has cemented his name alongside legends like Dwyane Wade and LeBron James as the only players in franchise history to record at least 500 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in a single postseason. However, unlike Wade and LeBron, Butler has yet to secure the coveted championship title, despite reaching the NBA Finals twice.