It’s critical for the Los Angeles Lakers to find the missing piece to the roster in order to ensure a trip to the playoffs this season. That said, the trade market could be the quickest option to put a winning team together before the end of the season.
At the same time, lots of speculation regarding Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler’s future is at the forefront of the sports world right now.
Read more: Top Five Landing Spots for Heat Star Jimmy Butler Amid Trade Rumors
With Butler in his last guaranteed season in his contract, many believe the 6-time All-Star could make a major move before the season is up.
In a new trade proposal, the Lakers could put together a massive deal in a blockbuster trade sending significant assets on the roster to Miami in return for Butler.
The proposal details are as follows:
Lakers receive: ForwardJimmy Butler
Heat receive: Guard D’Angelo Russell, forward Rui Hachimura, guard Max Christie, guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, and forward Cam Reddish.
But the deal wouldn’t stop there. In an effort to make the trade attractive to Miami, the Lakers would also include a 2029 first-round draft pick, a top-3 protected 2031 first-round draft pick, and a 2025 second-round draft pick.
Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images
As complicated as the Lakers’ package sounds, just speaking monetarily, it works!
Butler’s salary for the 2024-2025 season is valued at $48 million, and he has a player option for the 2025-2026 season valued at over $50 million. The deal can’t happen without sending a few of the Lakers’ most dependable role players, and that’s where the challenge arises.
This could be extremely risky for general manager Rob Pelinka, as the Lakers are still recovering from the decision made in 2021 to uproot the young championship core featuring Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell Pope in exchange for Russell Westbrook. Although the Lakers are in real need of more pieces to the winning puzzle, a deal this massive could make or break for this team.
Injuries should also be a consideration when thinking of bringing 35-year-old Butler to Los Angeles. Butler has garnered a list of nagging injuries over the years that could present a challenge to a Lakers roster featuring two leaders in their thirties who have also collected laundry lists of injuries over the years.
Other safe options Pelinka could be looking into is acquiring role players on mid-sized contracts, ideally looking to boost their production defensively and add depth behind the team’s star leaders LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
It’s still unclear what direction the Lakers are going to take before the trade deadline, but a deal like this could easily be in discussion should Butler become up for grabs in the near future.
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