Surprising Western Conference Team Has Jimmy Butler On Their Radar

Will the Jimmy Butler Sweepstakes ramp up as the season progresses? There's been a lot of chatter about the Miami Heat superstar potentially being moved, as the team doesn't seem interested in handing him a new max extension. If they're struggling come the trade deadline, he could be available for the right price.

Several championship contenders have been noted as potential landing spots, but the latest word has a surprise team, the Houston Rockets, with their eye on Butler. Insider Marc Stein says Houston is a "team to watch."

The Rockets are also increasingly mentioned by monitoring rivals as a team to watch should Miami ever reach a point that it chooses to explore its trade options with Jimmy Butler, who grew up some 30 miles away from Houston in Tomball, Texas.

Butler has a $52.4 million player option for next season, and he could decline it to enter free agency if he's not happy with where the Heat, or any team that he lands with, is heading.

Back in June, Shams Charania said at that time that Heat CEO Pat Riley had no interest in moving on from Butler, but we all know that things can change rapidly in the NBA, and stars can grow frustrated and request trades at the drop of a dime.

The Rockets are a team that's looking to fast-track their ascension to serious contender status, and the addition of Butler, despite his age (35), would do just that.

Butler is a six-time All-Star, having been at or above the 20 PPG mark for the past five seasons, while leading the Heat to the NBA Finals twice, only to come up short both times.