The Miami Heat have not done anything particularly noteworthy this season. But they are in a decent position, sitting at the fifth spot in the East with a 13-10 record. However, Bill Simmons thinks that the franchise should have seen enough of this season to want to blow up the roster before free agency.
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The NBA analyst claimed on The Bill Simmons Podcast that the franchise should not only trade Butler but rebuild the roster around Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. He said, “If you’re Miami, where are you going? You’re light years away from [the] Boston [Celtics], OKC [Thunder], Cleveland [Cavaliers] group. You are not even a second-tier contender… “
“Maybe you can use Butler’s contract, you can put [Terry] Rozier with it and create a new world for yourself. You are only paying Herro and Bam, and Duncan Robinson’s last year next year. You’re under $110 million heading into free agency with a lot of options. You might just wanna blow it up and redo it.”
Eighteen months ago, Jimmy Butler led the Heat to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years and looked set to be rewarded with a contract extension for his efforts. Fast forward to today, the superstar forward and the franchise are yet to agree on terms on a new deal. With the veteran set to test free agency in the summer, the team has seemingly decided to part ways with him as they are reportedly hearing offers for him.
While some believe the Heat shouldn’t trade him unless they get a star they can build around, Bill Simmons thinks it’s time to pull the plug. Even though Miami have made a few deep playoff runs since 2020, they have never really looked like legitimate contenders. Therefore, Simmons thinks that there’s no point in keeping up this facade of a contender behind another mediocre season.
The Ringer’s founder added that being under the second apron opens up several options for the Heat, especially with the cap space that will be available to them in the summer. They can use Duncan Robinson as a makeweight in a deal for a superstar and form a new young core. The analyst’s suggestion makes sense considering Miami is going nowhere.
The Heat’s immediate future isn’t bright
Last season, the Heat started the playoffs as the eighth seed for the second year running. But unlike 2023, where they won the Conference and made it to the Finals from the same spot, they fell at the first hurdle against the Celtics in 2024.
They did not have enough room on the salary cap to add another star player or perhaps two elite role players and decided to roll into the new season with virtually the same roster. Unsurprisingly, it hasn’t panned out as they’d hoped.
They are only half a game clear of the seventh spot in the standings and well off the pace from those at the top. Miami could risk playing out the season with its current set of players and hope Butler can have another incredible playoff run and lead them to a Conference title as he did in 2023. Or it fizzles out like in 2024.
Either way, it’ll end with him leaving the team for nothing as the organization doesn’t intend to hand the 35-year-old a contract extension. Conventional wisdom suggests it’s best to trade Butler for assets, be it picks, a promising player, or a veteran or two on expiring deals, and trust Herro and Adebayo to lead the team and retool the roster in the offseason.
Whether the Heat go through with this or have a last dance with the six-time All-Star remains to be seen.
