Blockbuster Trade Pitch Sees Heat Land $158 Million Star to Succeed Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler may be in his last season with the Miami Heat , or he may sign an extension and stick around for a couple of extra years. But either way, the organization has to start thinking about life after Butler.

Team president Pat Riley has gone whale hunting before and come home with the likes of Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James , just to name a couple. And while New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram isn't quite either of those players, he is an All-Star-caliber forward who has dropped in north of 20 points per game in each of the past five seasons.

The Pels shopped Ingram across the NBA all summer, though there were ultimately no takers. A primary reason for that is the widely held expectation that the forward is seeking a max deal.

In years past, that wouldn't have mattered as much, but the new league restrictions now in place dole out onerous penalties to teams that blow past the salary cap signing new talent -- see the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers in any of the past several seasons as examples of chronic spenders.

In other words, franchises have to be much more careful where they give out max contracts or find themselves mired in mediocrity.

The Heat, however, could make sense as a trade suitor for Ingram for several reasons. First, Butler is entering his last year under contract. Second, the team could use a go-to scorer with a mid-range game who can get them 20 points each night and create his own shot during crunch time, which holds true whether Butler comes back in 2025-26 and beyond or not.

Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report on Thursday, September 5, named the Heat the top of four potential landing spots for Ingram and explored what a trade in the coming months might look like.

Ingram isn't on track to be the next Butler. Far from it. And Miami could reasonably talk itself into Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyler Herro eventually replacing their current superstar. But adding Ingram could give those two a bit more runway.

If Riley and the rest of the front office can talk Ingram into signing a more reasonable new contract, he could age into a secondary playmaker role alongside [Bam] Adebayo , Jaquez, Herro or whoever else might pop from the younger core.

Miami's best salary-filling contracts belong to Terry Rozier , Duncan Robinson and Herro, and it'd have to combine multiple deals to get to Ingram's incoming salary.

Ingram will play the final season of his current five-year, $158 million deal in 2024-25 and carries a cap hit just over $36 million.

Another concern is that New Orleans' greatest need is a center, and the Heat don't have one to give them without including Adebayo in a deal. As that would almost certainly be a non-starter for Miami, the Heat might need to find a third team with the kind of asset the Pelicans are looking for, which could complicate matters significantly.