The Miami Heat having interest in All-Star wing Jimmy Butler is one thing. Making it work under the NBA’s salary cap is a completely different ball game.
However, Butler seems to think the Heat are a real possibility with free agency starting in less than 24 hours.
According to this report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Heat will meet with Butler in South Beach Sunday evening. The same report indicates that Philadelphia is open to a sign-and-trade deal.
Miami is currently capped out. The only way it can land Butler is through that above-mentioned sign-and-trade scenario. Under this theory, the Heat would send either Hassan Whiteside or Goran Dragic as well as another player and draft capital to Philadelphia for Butler.
Meanwhile, Butler is also set to meet with the Houston Rockets next week. They’ve long been interested in adding him as a third star with James Harden and Chris Paul. The situation is similar to Miami in that Houston would have to work out a sign-and-trade with Philly.