Five Non-Damian Lillard stars the Miami Heat could target next

3. Karl-Anthony Towns

Of course, Butler and Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns already played together once in Minnesota and, um, it did not go well. That said, both Butler and Towns are at very different stages of their careers and a second stint likely wouldn’t end the same way as the first.

Towns is among the greatest shooting big men ever, and he’s show improvement as a playmaker and (marginally) as a defender. Playing him alongside a versatile big man in Adebayo and two-way talent such as Butler could only help him, and he would immediately become an important floor-spacing presence in Miami’s offense and a long-term answer at a position of annual turnover.

What would it cost to trade for Towns? A lot. Herro, young players such as Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. and several first-round picks and swaps would be the starting point of a package.

There’s concerns about fit. It’s already clunky in Minnesota between Towns and Rudy Gobert. Would Towns and Adebayo have better chemistry? Is Towns capable of being the No. 1 scoring option as Butler ages? Can the Heat cover up or repair Towns’s offseason warts?

This one seems like a longshot, but it is a situation worth monitoring if the season does not go as planned for the Timberwolves.