Should Cavaliers Explore Trade For Jimmy Butler?

If the Miami Heat trade Jimmy Butler, do the Cleveland Cavaliers make sense as a landing spot?

Nov 22, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached the playoffs the last two seasons, but there are still holes on this roster that need to be filled to be considered a true Finals contender. 

One player who could take the Wine and Gold to the next level may be on the move this offseason.

Howard Beck of The Ringer suggested that Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler could be traded at some point this offseason.

 "Jimmy Butler will be traded," Beck wrote. "Rival executives have been buzzing about it for months, for all the obvious reasons. Butler is about to turn 35 (with a lot of hard miles and a lot of injuries), with one year left on his Heat contract, and is reportedly seeking a two-year, $113 million extension. If the Heat grant it, they’ll have little to no flexibility to add another star. And they absolutely need one."

If Miami opts to move Butler, should Cleveland explore a trade to acquire him?

Nov 22, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

This was actually a scenario that Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer suggested earlier in June. 

"This is just me talking, I didn't ask anybody questions or anything like that. But the one team that, if they were willing to trade Jimmy, I don't know if they are, the one team I would pay attention to is the Cleveland Cavaliers,” said Pompey.

If we’re just talking talent-wise, then yes, pairing Butler with Donovan Mitchell would be a tremendous pickup. The Cavs desperately need another wing who can create their own shot and lead the offense while on the floor. Butler checks all of those boxes.

However, it’s more complicated than that. 

As Beck points out, any deal involving Butler could come down to the financial implications both for next year and for the foreseeable future. Cleveland doesn’t necessarily have the cap space to take on another max contract unless they move on from one or to players in their core four

For this reason, trading for Butler does not make sense for the Cavaliers at this time.

Cleveland could still make some major moves this offseason. But it’s hard to see Butler at the center of any of those deals.