Miami Heat Land Intriguing Take In Potential All-Star Trade

The Miami Heat have fallen behind in the Eastern Conference arms race, losing their play-in game last spring and failing to make any significant moves this NBA offseason.

That being said, Pat Riley always seems to have something up his sleeve, so could the Heat make any major trades heading into the 2024-25 campaign?

Well, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey has labeled Miami as the best potential trade fit for New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, particularly as a contingency plan in case the Heat lose Jimmy Butler to free agency next summer.

“If the Heat lose Butler, the wisest path forward might be a slower build focused on Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr.,” Bailey wrote. “That team already has a pretty intriguing core beyond its superstar. On the other hand, there may be value in taking some pressure off those three, and Brandon Ingram’s mid-range game and playmaking skills could make him sort of a Butler facsimile.”

But how about a Butler-Ingram pairing for the coming year?

It would definitely be a nice scoring duo, and given how injury prone Butler is, Ingram would provide Miami will some nice insurance.

Will the Miami Heat trade Jimmy Butler?

Speculation has been building that the Heat could trade Butler, as he appears set to opt out of his contract next offseason.

At the moment, Miami appears set on giving it one more go with Butler in tow, which would make an Ingram trade that much more feasible.

The Heat could attempt to swing a deal for Ingram to bolster their roster for the 2024-25 season while also ensuring they would have a fallback option in case things go awry.

Miami could always acquire Ingram now and then move Butler at the trade deadline if it becomes clear that the Heat are not legitimate contenders.

Butler is 35 years old, so if Miami is out of the race by February, it could ultimately decide to part ways with the South Beach icon.

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