Trade Proposal: Miami Heat Swap All-Star For No. 1 Pick In Controversial Deal

The Miami Heat find themselves in a conundrum as the Jimmy Butler era potentially nears its final months.

Should the Heat trade Butler ahead of him hitting unrestricted free agency, or is the team better off attempting one final title run with the All-Star forward?

If the Heat intend on trading Butler, their first call should be to the Golden State Warriors. One of the first names mentioned should be Andrew Wiggins, Butler’s former Minnesota Timberwolves teammate.

The Heat (10-10) continue hovering around .500 in a top-heavy Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Warriors (13-8) appear set on trying to win a fifth and final championship with aging veterans Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.

Could the Warriors make a play for Butler? Here’s what a possible trade involving the Heat and Warriors may look like:

Heat acquire: Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State’s 2025 first-round pick, 2026 first-round swap (via Golden State)

Warriors acquire: Jimmy Butler, Josh Richardson

🇨🇦 Represent The Canadians 🇨🇦

Andrew Wiggins | vs. Houston

23 POINTS
3 THREE POINTERS
9 REBOUNDS
2 ASSISTS
2 STEALS pic.twitter.com/6KZfEZOUcq
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) December 6, 2024

If the Heat trade Butler, they’re essentially throwing the towel in and signaling their intent to reset. Tyler Herro continues establishing himself as a dangerous point guard, especially with him finally staying healthy. All-Star center Bam Adebayo remains an imposing defensive presence, though his offense has struggled.

Wiggins almost certainly isn’t the missing piece for a potential Big Three also featuring Adebayo and Herro. However, don’t sleep on the 2014 No. 1 pick, especially not as he remains a valuable member of the Warriors’ starting rotation. The veteran small forward averages 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.

Wiggins is under contract through the end of next season and has a player option for 2026-27. If the Heat acquire him and subsequently struggle next year, he’d possibly be a rental option for a contender.

Kuminga is an intriguing young forward who could immediately start at the four. He averages 14.8 points and 4.3 rebounds, both of which are above his career averages. However, Kuminga’s 45.1 shooting percentage is easily the worst of his career.

Kuminga may be turning a corner, though. He scored a career-high 33 points in a Dec. 5 victory over the Houston Rockets.

JONATHAN KUMINGA

He's like that. pic.twitter.com/Q91qMSUb7v
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 6, 2024

Again, the question is what the Heat want to do now. Trading Butler and attempting to win the Finals this season is contradictory. Miami needs to pick one option, and in this hypothetical, it’s waving the white flag and sending Butler to a contender.

Despite being 35 and nearing free agency, Butler’s value—and the Warriors’ likely hunger for one more ring in the Curry era—could net the Heat draft picks. We believe the Dubs give up multiple first-round picks for Butler.

Should the Heat trade Butler for Wiggins and Kuminga? We’re not opposed to such a move, so long as the team is truly committed to pressing the reset button. For now, though, it’s still too early to know if the Heat eventually consider themselves sellers—and are willing to sell at the deadline.

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Jake Elman works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at jakeelman97@gmail.com or follow him on X @JakeElman97.