With the NBA trade deadline exactly one month away, rumors have been flying about Jimmy Butler‘s future. The disgruntled six-time All-Star made headlines last week with his trade request, and the Heat added fuel to the fire by suspending him for detrimental conduct. With plenty of suitors surely lined up for Butler’s services, one Hall-of-Fame guard proposed an intriguing destination: Tinseltown.
Hall-of-Famer Suggests Star-Studded Landing Spot for Jimmy Butler
Isiah Thomas: Butler Could Fit on the Lakers
During NBA TV’s “Gametime” show recapping the Lakers’ win over the Hawks Saturday, Isiah Thomas noted that if the Lakers secured “one more piece,” they could not be counted out “in this era of basketball.” Co-host Sam Mitchell responded by asking if Butler would be a good fit on the Lakers with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, citing the former’s status as a leader.
Mitchell: “One thing about LeBron, you go to a team with LeBron James, you understand who’s the king.”
Thomas: “That’s what I was getting ready to say.”
Mitchell: “And if you don’t fall in line, you’re not upsetting that apple cart, ever. For Jimmy Butler to go to a team, he’s got to go to a team with a strong, number one leader like a LeBron James, cause LeBron checks everybody, period.”
Thomas agreed with Mitchell’s points, adding:
“When you listen to Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye talk about their experience with LeBron James and what he was like in the locker room as a player and as a teammate, they speak of him very highly. And then on this Olympic team, all those guys came back, the coaches and everybody speaks of him very high, so if a Jimmy Butler was to get to the Lakers with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, hey man, cancel Christmas.”
Why the Lakers Don’t Make Sense for Jimmy Butler
Despite Thomas and Mitchell’s beliefs, the reality is that the pairing wouldn’t work for either Butler or the Lakers.
For starters, the Lakers already tried the three-star experiment in the James-Davis era, and it failed miserably. Russell Westbrook’s stint in LA proved that having three big names—albeit at different positions—just didn’t work on the court or on the payroll. Getting into a similar situation with Butler ($48.8M salary) is not worth the headache for the team’s front office.
Speaking of contracts, Butler’s massive salary is another hurdle toward a Lakers trade. Outside of James and Davis, the team’s next highest salaries belong to Rui Hachimura ($17M), Austin Reaves ($12.9M), Gabe Vincent ($11M) and Jarred Vanderbilt ($10.7M) (Dorian Finney-Smith is making $14.9M, but his salary cannot be aggregated in a trade). Hachimura, Vincent and Reaves are playing significant roles for the Lakers, while Vanderbilt (knee) has yet to take the floor. Trading them for an aging star is not the way to go—even with Butler’s impressive skill set and resume.
Finally, the Lakers have not even expressed interest in trading for Butler, electing to trade available pieces for depth. Putting all of the eggs in the Butler basket erases any previous effort to balance the current roster. The team already changed the starting lineup and traded for a veteran wing defender (on a significantly cheaper contract). Despite last night’s loss to the Rockets, the Lakers are still 20-15 and 7-3 in their last ten games.
Los Angeles may be a city of stars, but the Lakers have all the star power they need with James and Davis. The focus should be on maximizing their play with adequate pieces surrounding them, not acquiring another marquee player.
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