Jimmy Butler would not mesh with Donovan Mitchell on the Miami Heat

The Miami Heat organization has been viewed as a potential landing spot for Donovan Mitchell if he requests from a trade from the Utah Jazz this summer. Brett Siegel of Sports Illustrated stated on May 9 that the team is interested in trading for Mitchell if he were to become available on the trade market.

The chatter around Miami pursuing a Mitchell trade this offseason has not died down over the last few weeks. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sun-Sentinel stated on May 30 that Mitchell is an appealing option for the team because they need another backcourt player who can be a big-time scorer.

At first glance, Winderman is on the money here, as Mitchell is averaging 23.9 points per game, shooting 44.1 percent on 19.4 attempts per game. However, when you look beneath the surface, the Heat would hurt Mitchell as a player.

The Miami Heat should not trade for Donovan Mitchell as Jimmy Butler’s skill set would force him to be in a significantly reduced role.

He has spent 44.4 percent of his possessions as a pick and roll ball handler since 2017, averaging 10.9 per game. He has been productive averaging 10.3 points per game, shooting 43.5 percent on 8.8 attempts per game.

Unfortunately, Mitchell’s pick-and-roll possessions would be reduced with the Heat organization. Miami likes to have three players stand behind the arc when running a pick and roll. Jimmy Butler would be off the ball if they were to give Mitchell the lion’s share of pick-and-roll possessions.

Butler has struggled off the ball, with a career shooting percentage of 32.1 percent from behind the arc on 2.5 attempts per game. Furthermore, Butler is most effective as a ball handler. He has averaged 7.3 points on 13.4 drives per game since 2017, more than 30 percent of his scoring output.

The Heat veteran’s skill set has profoundly affected his teammates. Before signing with Miami, Kyle  Lowry liked to push the ball, spending 21.4 percent on his possessions in transition averaging 3.9 per game. Lowry’s transition possession frequency dropped by 3.3 percent in Miami, averaging 2.5 per game.

Lowry’s transition possession reduction hurt his productivity. Lowry averaged 4.2 points per game more in Toronto. His Toronto production was 68 percent higher than Miami, where he averaged 2.5 points per game.

The point guard had a similar experience with pick-and-roll possessions. He spent 30.4 percent of his Toronto possessions in the pick-and-roll, averaging 5.6 per game. He spent only spent 28.2 percent of his possessions in Miami as a pick and roll ball handler. Consequently, the pick and roll numbers went from 5.3 to 3.7 points per game.

The change in Lowry’s playing style resulted in him only taking 10 shots per game, his fewest since 2012-13. In addition, 60.9 percent of his shots were from behind the arc, averaging 6.1 per game. Lowry’s role change influenced a 22.1 percent drop in scoring output, averaging 13.4 points per game.

Mitchell can succeed in a reduced role off-the-ball with Miami. Mitchell has a career shooting percentage of 36.1 percent from behind the arc on 7.7 attempts per game.

Unfortunately, he is scheduled to earn $30.3 next season, which is significantly more than what a floor spacer should be making. Consequently, Mitchell would be better off staying with the Jazz, where he can be the primary ball-handler with no restrictions.

Mitchell’s desire to leave Utah is related to an ongoing rift with teammate Rudy Gobert. Mitchell is likely still frustrated from how everything played out before the league got suspended in 2020, and Gobert has not been happy with Mitchell’s defensive effort. Mitchell should inform Danny Angie that Rudy Gobert needs to be traded to another team for him to stay with the organization long-term.

In conclusion, the Miami Heat should not trade Mitchell, as Butler’s presence will cause him to become a less effective player like Lowry was this past season.