Houston Rockets: How the team can swing a trade for Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler already has one foot out of the door in Minnesota so the team is looking to trade him. Here’s how the Houston Rockets can land the superstar.

The Houston Rockets kicked off training camp earlier this week. So, that means the 2018-19 season is officially underway! It was great to finally see the new acquisitions in a Rockets uniform during media days as well.

While it’s been widely speculated that Carmelo Anthony would probably stick to his guns and find his way into the starting lineup, that hasn’t been the case. Melo has stated that he’s comfortable in whatever role the team needs him and Mike D’Antoni said he’s envisioning Melo as the team’s sixth man.

That was definitely some of the biggest news for this Houston Rockets team. There was also a ton of news around the league. Crazy stuff happened, I mean as crazy as Kawhi Leonard laughing. However, trade rumors also began to circulate, the biggest revolving around Jimmy Butler.

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It has been reported that nearly twenty teams have approached the Timberwolves about a trade for Butler. He supposedly wants to go to either Miami or New York. However, the asking price is extremely high. For example, Minnesota recently requested Ben Simmons from Philadelphia in return for Butler. Yikes.

The Houston Rockets are one of the teams that are interested in Butler. I know what you’re thinking, if they want Simmons in return for Butler then how could the Rockets possibly compete for Butler’s services?

Well, the Timberwolves are wanting quality veterans, top prospects, and future assets in return for Butler. While the Rockets may not have the best prospects or future assets, what they can package together could compete with the best deals Minnesota is receiving.

The package for the Houston Rockets should likely begin with Eric Gordon. He has one of the bigger contracts on the team and happens to play the same position as Butler. Gordon is an incredible asset to this team and would be valued as such by an opposing team in a trade.

After Gordon, the Rockets could go a couple of different ways to make the money work. The first option involves another solid veteran, PJ Tucker. Adding Tucker makes the money work but losing him would be a very tough loss as Butler would be hard pressed to replace both of them. The Rockets would probably also have to toss in Zhou Qi and a first-round pick.

That is the best deal the Rockets could put forward. However, they should do everything in their power to not go through with it. Losing Tucker and Gordon in the same trade would be devastating to this team even if it nets Butler.

However, Qi and draft assets are more than worth sacrificing. But, if the Rockets could add another veteran to make the money work, it could potentially entice the Timberwolves. Nene wouldn’t have a ton of value to add on the court but he makes the money worth it and could add veteran leadership for a very young team

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So, if the Rockets could get the Timberwolves to accept a deal for Gordon, Nene, Qi, a first-round pick, and maybe a few more draft assets they should jump on it immediately. Now, the real question is whether or not the Timberwolves would accept such a deal. That remains to be seen but if anyone can swing, it’s Daryl Morey.

If the Timberwolves don’t want to accept this deal and don’t trade him at all, the Rockets could pursue something down the road. After October 31st, the Rockets could also include either Brandon Knight or Marquese Chriss in a deal for Butler. Adding Chriss to Gordon and Qi makes the money work nicely. Knight could also potentially replace Gordon.

The odds of this deal actually coming to fruition are probably fairly slim. However, adding Butler it something that the Rockets need to exhaust all avenues to pursue. Adding a player of Butler’s caliber would likely give the Rockets enough firepower to breeze past the Warriors this season.

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Butler averaged 22.2 points across .474/.350/.854 shooting. He also averaged 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game while playing stellar defense with 2 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. Oh, Butler being from Houston should also help the Rockets’ case to lure Butler in.

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