With the NBA world buzzing about where disgruntled Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler might land, we lay out a sound argument for him to play with a West Coast Conference contender.

Coming out of Marquette on the heels of alumnus Dwayne Wade’s NBA superstardom surge, Jimmy Butler was picked 30th overall. The former homeless high school student maybe a fringe first rounder, but the massive chip on his shoulder would propel him to NBA greatness. His aggressive play and blossoming offensive game had his underdog 2023 Miami Heat make a surprise appearance in the NBA Finals. In that 2023 NBA Finals Jimmy Butler would have surely been the MVP if the Denver Nuggets didn’t have other plans. However, now that aggression has pushed too far and things have gone sour in Miami. Hall of Fame legend and current Miami Heat President Pat Riley and Jimmy Butler are obviously at odds.

There’s only one solution. For Jimmy Butler, it’s time to go home.

Butler gave a 2011 TV interview with college hoops reporter Andy Katz detailing his unlikely path to success at Marquette. He talked about going door to door searching for a home to take him in, after his mother kicked him out of their house. Sadly and ironically, he is in a similar spot now as far as his NBA life is concerned. It is very much a mystery where Jimmy will land for the second half of this season. But one thing is for sure. The trade deadline is on February 6th and the Miami Heat are too successful of an organization to let his incredible value go wasted, even if not in their franchise.

Where Bad Behavior Could Lead to the Perfect Fit for Jimmy Buckets

Butler was just handed a third multiple game suspension for what the club characterizes as bad or unprofessional behavior. There’s a group of characters in his home state of Texas who have their own resumes of bad behavior, but are currently slotted as the 3rd seed in the West: The Houston Rockets. Butler, a native to Houston, would be an absolute perfect fit. Rockets coach Ime Udoka already got jettisoned from another winning organization (the Celtics) after allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with a colleague. The Rockets went out of their way to sign technical foul machine Dillon Brooks. Even point guard Fred VanVleet went after a referee this season. Jimmy Butler will fit right in, or maybe get an immediate merit raise for good behavior in comparison. The Rockets have a ton of guys with a chip on their shoulders. Another one of those guys is Cam Whittemore, who cannot be too pleased with his current position in the NBA. The former Villanova freshman phenom is back-and-forth between the pros and the G League. The Rockets have talent to spare. Whittemore might end up being a trade chip for Jimmy Butler.

How can the Heat trade to the Rockets for Jimmy Butler

Well, ESPN’s trade machine tells me that it would only take a few players to get it done 😉