Jimmy Butler Trade Packages: Ideas for Lakers, Warriors and more | News, results, highlights, stats and rumors

Jimmy Butler and Alec Burks for Michael Porter Jr., Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther, Zeke Nnaji and a swap for the 2031 first-round pick

The Denver Nuggets took a lot of criticism for the offseason that saw them lose Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic, but improvements on the bench and the development of a young winger or two could well lead to them being simply better in the 2024-25 season.

That’s not guaranteed, of course. Especially not in the Western Conference, which has been a relentless gauntlet for a quarter century. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves (thanks largely to 23-year-old Anthony Edwards) and Memphis Grizzlies could all be better.

If at some point around the transfer deadline Denver feels that another year of Nikola Jokić’s title-contending glory could be fading, at least a dramatic restructuring like the one described above could be offered.

Michael Porter Jr. is eight years younger than Butler, and losing his three-point shooting would be a very serious problem. Denver just finished the 2023-24 season ranked 25th in three-pointers made.

But there is no player in the world who can exploit Butler’s cuts and slashes better than Jokić. The two-man game between these two would be unstoppable and would give the Nuggets another late-game option beyond the Jokić-Jamal Murray combination.

While this move could also destroy Denver’s depth, it would give the Nuggets a slightly more dynamic and playable position in the top five or six.

For the Heat, this deal doesn’t offer a lot of draft capital (because Denver doesn’t really have any), but Peyton Watson is one of the league’s most interesting young defenders. Julian Strawther looks like he could be a high-volume floor spacer.

And if Miami wants to start a fast, aggressive rebuild that doesn’t let winning fall by the wayside, MPJ would be an excellent running mate for Bam.

With Adebayo’s skills as a point center and Porter’s experience playing alongside a big playmaker, this duo would do a lot of damage right away.

Lineups featuring Bam and the shots of Porter, Herro, Nikola Jović and possibly Jaquez could weaken the defense and score points quickly.