Though Butler leaving the Heat in free agency (without the Heat’s help) would not leave Miami with cap space to sign a max player this summer or anything close to a max player directly into cap space, there are ways around that — avenues that could give the Heat more than $60 million in spending money in July.

A: Because Memphis already has Ja Morant, Demond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. locked into big deals, and that is not a market able to necessarily support a fourth major contract, should that be/remain Jimmy Butler’s priority in any relocation.

Jimmy Butler has made it pretty clear that he is hoping to be traded from the Miami Heat. If for some reason that does not happen, it is almost certain that he will leave in the summer as a free agent, with the 35-year-old having a player option for next season.