Why the Heat would do it
If the Heat are forced to trade Butler then they need to find players who fit with Bam Adebayo and Miami’s other young players as they build toward the next iteration of Miami Heat basketball.
On paper, someone like Green makes sense. The 22-year-old is a talented scorer who could blossom into a No. 1 option and develop pick-and-roll chemistry with Adebayo.
Brooks, meanwhile, could step in as a two-way impact player and would find himself at home within the Heat’s culture the same way guys like Jae Crowder and P.J. Tucker did in previous seasons.
Adding the No. 3 pick would provide another tool to add a high-upside young player in this month’s draft when the Heat could select someone like Donovan Clingan or Stephon Castle.
Of course, the Heat could also take all this stuff and repackage it to trade for another star. Would a package based around these Houston assets be enough to land Donovan Mitchell from the Cleveland Cavaliers?
If the Heat don’t want to take a major step back, making this a three-team deal that brings another star could make more sense.