Major media outlet suggests (another) misguided trade to send Jimmy Butler to Rockets

The Houston Rockets. Jimmy Butler. Insert introductory paragraph here.

I hear you. If I'm sick of writing about it, why not just...stop writing about it?

If only everyone else would stop writing about it. They won't Butler is relentlessly linked to the Rockets. Rafael Stone practically confirmed that he wasn't interested in acquiring Butler, and he's still being linked to them.

ESPN are the most recent culprit. They cooked up a deal that has the Rockets landing Butler without parting with any one of their "core seven".

It's still a bad deal for the Rockets.

The Rockets do not need Jimmy Butler

Specifically, ESPN has the Rockets sending out Dillon Brooks, Steven Adams, Jeff Green, a 2027 First-Round Pick with swap rights coming from Brooklyn, and a 2029 First-Rounder coming via the second-best of Houston, Phoenix or Dallas.

There are a couple of issues with this deal. Let's talk about Jimmy Butler. He is 35-years-old. Butler is still an outstanding player, but his prime is due to expire in any given season.

When that happens, who will Butler be? He should be able to find another season or two of rotation-caliber play as a defensive wing who can occasionally create a shot. He'll have to up his three-point volume. Would you look at that?

A perfect description of Dillon Brooks.

Is the suggestion here that in a year or two, Butler will be roughly as good as Brooks is now? That's entirely possible. Father Time is undefeated.

Even if Butler remains better than Brooks, will he be twice as good? That seems exceedingly unlikely. That's the issue - Butler will almost surely be paid twice as well as Brooks. Given the age discrepancy (Brooks is 28), one could make the case that even swapping Butler for Brooks straight up would have significant downsides for the Rockets.

Unless we're viewing Butler as a rental. If the idea is to bring him on for a single season to bolster Houston's playoff hopes, that's a different conversation.

Why would Houston give up two first-round picks for a one-year rental?

Rockets should preserve their assets

The Brooklyn Nets are 11-16. They just traded Dennis Schroeder at below market value specifically to make the team worse.

This is not a team that's on track to make the playoffs in two seasons.

That pick is a valuable asset. Jettisoning it to Miami for a season of Butler's services would be tremendously short-sighted. The Rockets won't win the 2024-25 NBA championship by acquiring Butler. He isn't even a good fit with the roster. Butler attempts just 1.5 three-pointers per game, and the Rockets have a desperate need for shooting.

Enough with the Jimmy Butler trades. Please. There is a laundry list of reasons why he's not a suitable target for the Rockets. The general manager has unambiguously indicated that he's not interested:

And one SpaceCityScoop author doesn't want to address the issue anymore.