Jimmy Butler is generally viewed as an All-NBA player during the regular season and is one of the best two-way players in the game. He has shown that he elevates his game during the postseason as well. Butler had an outstanding playoff run this year, averaging 27.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 4.6 APG.
Despite his talent and amazing playoff run, NBA analyst Bill Simmons believes that the Miami Heat would trade Jimmy Butler if the Los Angeles Lakers offered them big man Anthony Davis.
If the Lakers called Miami up and said, ‘We’ll give you Anthony Davis for Jimmy Butler,’ Miami is either doing it or they’re having a seven-hour meeting before they decide not to do it. But I just think they would do it. If they can turn Jimmy Butler into Anthony Davis, I think they do it.
Anthony Davis is one of the most dominant big men in the league when healthy. He is impactful on both ends of the floor and is versatile offensively, capable of scoring both on the interior and stepping out into the midrange area. While Anthony Davis was clearly not at full strength during the 2021-22 season, he still managed to average 23.2 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 2.3 BPG.
There is no doubt that there are some positives to this hypothetical trade for the Heat: Anthony Davis is younger than Jimmy Butler and produces like a superstar when healthy. For the Los Angeles Lakers, this would be about getting a two-way wing that can consistently stay on the floor and not miss games due to injuries.
There has been no reporting that suggests that a deal with this framework is being discussed by the two teams. This is clearly a hypothetical trade presented by Bill Simmons, but this doesn’t make it any less fun to think about.
