Even though the Miami Heat’s summer is just getting started, trade whispers were already dominating the media.

A four-team summer agreement was recently proposed by Bleacher Report, which would significantly upend the Eastern Conference. The Heat part with Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Nikola Jovic in exchange for Donovan Mitchell from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kyle Kuzma from the Washington Wizards.

The remaining trade information is as follows:

The Philadelphia 76ers acquire Butler, the Cavaliers get Herro and four first-round picks, and the Wizards get Paul Reed, Ty Jerome, Jovic, and a first-round pick.

Although Butler is not wanted to leave the Heat, according to team president Pat Riley, “there’s a possibility that a lot of things are on the table.” Not to mention, in the same interview, Riley called Herro “fragile”.

While more unusual, pairing Mitchell and Kuzma alongside All-Star center Bam Adebayo isn’t always a better option. Given that the Cavaliers player is around seven years younger than Butler, there is no question that he is the perfect successor. The difference in competence between Herro and Kuzma is not that great, though. Both players have a strong scoring record and All-Star potential, but they also have significant inconsistency on both ends of the court.

The Sixers, who get to reunite Butler and Joel Embiid, stand to gain the most from the fictitious trade. The Heat forward joins Tyrese Maxey, the Most Improved Player, and Embiid as a much-needed trustworthy third option. The Philadelphia front management would probably not make the same error twice after making the poor choice to choose Tobias Harris over Butler in 2019.

For the Heat to agree to the trade, “the likely path would be a six-month wait for the extend-and-trade restriction to lift so Mitchell can opt out and extend for four additional seasons, starting at a max of about $44.4 million (higher if a new broadcast deal pushes the salary cap up),” explained B/R’s Eric Pincus.Kuzma, a gifted scorer, has proven he can compete for a championship while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers (they defeated Miami in 2020). The more stringent Heat culture wouldn’t be the cause of Washington’s lack of discipline (both on offense and defense).

Riley may want to consider switching up the starting lineup if he is beginning to lose faith in Butler, Adebayo, and Herro as the team’s Big Three.