Rockets Adding a Hothead Like Jimmy Butler Could Explode the Entire Franchise

When Jimmy Butler officially becomes eligible to verbally agree to a new contract on July 1, teams will be flocking to him and his agent to secure his services. The most recently reported team interested in bringing in Butler is the Houston Rockets, who may lose point guard Chris Paul due to his alleged declining relationship with James Harden.

But would Butler's personality and skill set fit in with this current Rockets squad?

Now, there's a chance this move would turn Houston into title contenders, especially in a wide open West. But there's also a dangerous chance that combining a volatile ball-dominant star with a guard who already shoots 30 times a game cold spell trouble.

Meshing other star players in Houston alongside Harden has proven to be difficult. A guy like Chris Paul, who reportedly wants out of Houston, is a distributor and loves to keep the offense moving. If he's not getting along with Harden, how would Butler?

And at the same time, people said this about Butler's move to Philadelphia. There were concerns that he may cause problems with the already established Philly core. But in a new city with new teammates and new fans, past experiences don't always hint at future results, especially for someone with Butler's history.

Then again, Butler has never played with a star as big or as ball-needy as Harden, so this is a much different situation than Philadelphia, considering nobody on the 76ers necessarily demands the ball.

We'd like to think Butler would be fun to watch in Houston, but there's a part of us that can't look past the possibility of it being an epic flop.