Rockets Reportedly a Team to Monitor if Celtics' Rival Trades Star Forward

Rob Greene | Oct 28, 2024

May 23, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) controls the ball against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) in the first quarter during game four of the Eastern Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets are ‘a team to keep an eye on’ if Jimmy Butler becomes available, per veteran NBA insider Marc Stein.

The Miami Heat, beginning the season poorly offensively, have been tremendously under the microscope to start the year.

Butler is a free agent to be in 2025, while hearing some criticism from Miami Heat President Pat Riley about his inconsistent availability the last few regular seasons.

The Rockets interest could be something to monitor with how the Heat’s season plays out and the state of Butler’s morale, though he has been on record saying he wants to be in Miami.

Butler is a 35-year-old dogged-veteran who’s toughness and grit fits Houston’s scheme. The six-time All-Star is a leader, a proven winner in the playoffs, and a wing with his level of experience and what Butler has done on the National Basketball Association's biggest stage could be the exact piece the Rockets are missing for them to rise as contenders in the West.

Furthermore, Houston's head coach, Ime Udoka, got a close look at Butler when the Boston Celtics faced Miami in the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals. The five-time All-NBA selection came within capitalizing on an open look at a pull-up three in transition with his team trailing by two and under 30 seconds left on the clock in Game 7 of that series from likely sending the Heat to play for the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the second year in a row.

Butler, a Texas native, and the Rockets could be a match made in heaven, as he exemplifies the culture Ime Udoka is working to establish in Houston.