With Jimmy Butler, the Miami Heat were perpetually on the verge of doing something big in the NBA. Without him, they have struggled to figure out who they are as a team. The Sacramento Kings could have the answer in the form of Domantas Sabonis, a major scoring option to pair with Bam Adebayo.
It wasn't that long ago that the Heat fought their way from the Play-In Tournament and all the way to the NBA Finals. They ultimately lost to the Denver Nuggets, but Miami took out the Bucks, the Knicks, and the Celtics along the way. It was an impressive run, to say the least.
After the 2023 NBA Playoffs, things really started to go downhill in Miami. By Christmas 2024, Butler was basically out the door and didn't make any secret of his desire to leave. He stopped showing up, got suspended by the team, and was finally traded to the Warriors on February 5, 2025.
Since then, the Heat have struggled to find their identity without Butler. Adebayo has stepped up, even dropping an 83-point game on the Wizards, but the team needs more. They need another reliable primary scorer who can be a legit threat. That's where Sabonis comes in.
Sabonis on the Heat makes a lot of sense
Bringing Sabonis on board instantly gives the Heat an improved rebounding presence. Miami is middle-of-the-pack in the NBA when it comes to rebounding at the moment. Adding in someone like Sabonis, who dominates the glass, would be huge, pushing Miami into the top rebounding teams.
On top of that, Sabonis would be another primary scorer. The Heat are one of the best passing teams in the league, and Sabonis works best when he is the focus of the offence. Running him alongside Adebayo would give them a solid double big lineup that could rebound and score.
The only thing Sabonis isn't going to do is improve the Heat's defense, mainly because he's shockingly bad at it. On the upside, Miami is an incredible defensive team. Erik Spoelstra's system is rigorous and successful. He might be the only one who can make good use of Sabonis here.
While the Heat don't have much in the way of draft capital to trade, there are some young core prospects like Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware, and Nikola Jovic that the Kings might be interested in. No Tyler Herro, though. Sacramento does not need him on their roster if they want to move forward.
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