Ball Around

Paul Pierce Believes West Contender is Perfect Fit for Jimmy Butler

Matt Levine

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

One of the biggest rumors going around the NBA right now is what the Miami Heat will do with star forward Jimmy Butler. There were rumors over the offseason about the possibility of Butler being traded as Miami didn't want to give him the type of extension he was seeking.

But now, NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN has reported that Miami could be open to the idea of trading Butler away. With this new report, it has teams and people around the league thinking of potential landing spots.

Former NBA star Paul Pierce believes that one team in the Western Conference would be the perfect destination for Butler. That would be the Denver Nuggets to pair him alongside Nikola Jokic.

“If I had to guess... The best fit for Jimmy Butler would probably be the Denver Nuggets... I think you're going to be seeing him & [Nikola Jokic] raise another championship trophy, if they don't have to play the Celtics.”

Adding Butler to the Nuggets lineup would make them a serious contender to win it all, given that Butler would provide a new edge to Denver. Butler has been one of the better playoff players in the league for years and could give the Nuggets a big boost.

Denver currently holds a record of 12-10 on the season but they haven't looked as dominant as in years past. Landing a player like Butler could change the trajectory of their entire season.

Any trade between these two teams would likely involve forward Michael Porter Jr. heading back to South Beach. With Butler making $48 million this season, Denver would need to find a way to match that to make the salaries work out.

Porter Jr., Zeke Nnaji, and Dario Saric could do the trick but the Heat would also likely want draft picks in return. The Nuggets have a few picks to work with and could go all-in on landing Butler for the next few seasons.

This would immediately move the Nuggets back toward the top of the Western Conference in terms of title contenders. Having a big three of Jokic, Butler, and Jamal Murray could be lethal for opposing teams to deal with.

It remains to be seen if the Heat will actually make Butler available but if they do, Denver should at least make a call to them.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

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