The Pelicans are the latest team to get involved in Jimmy Butler trade talks, Jake Fischer and Marc Stein reveal in a Substack column (subscriber only).
League sources tell Fischer and Stein that New Orleans contacted the Heat this week about Butler, although terms of the offer weren’t divulged. The authors’ sources say Brandon Ingram‘s $36MM expiring contract would be the basis of the deal.
The Pelicans have been exploring the trade market for Ingram after being unable to work out an extension with him last summer. Sources tell The Stein Line that New Orleans has been attempting to use Ingram’s contract to facilitate a Butler trade, but eventually decided to make its own offer.
Even though Ingram hasn’t played since December 7 due to injury, getting a player with his pedigree would intrigue the Heat as they prepare to make a playoff run. However, the authors aren’t sure what Butler’s reaction might be to joining a 12-36 New Orleans team whose season has been derailed by injuries to numerous rotation players.
Butler makes roughly $12.8MM more than Ingram this season, so the Pelicans would have to add multiple players to match salaries. Fischer and Stein note that they’re currently almost $1.5MM over the tax line and are expected to maneuver underneath it to avoid paying the tax in a lost season. That means one or more additional teams may have to get involved to allow them to acquire Butler and still duck the tax.
The Suns remain Butler’s preferred destination, according to the authors, but that possibility looks increasingly remote as no teams want to take on Bradley Beal‘s contract and Beal appears unlikely to waive his no-trade clause. That leaves the Pelicans with the Warriors, Bucks and Grizzlies as teams that have been publicly linked to Butler. They all have the resources to complete a deal, but Fischer and Stein note that none of them have gone all-in with their efforts to acquire the disgruntled forward.
Stein reported earlier this week that the Raptors have expressed interest in Ingram, marking the first movement on that front in several months. The Pelicans also had preliminary discussions with the Hawks about Ingram, but sources told Stein that they “have not gained significant traction.”
lol
Cancer
lol just want the pelicans need another part time player in Butler.
If Heat is not planning to give Ingram max
If Butler has no joy playing for Pelicans
Result
Heat say no
Butler say no
Pelicans say yes
They lose Ingram in June anyway
Butler would opt in and ask them to trade ……
I wonder how Brooklyn feels about Jimmy Butler now. Jimmy was sending signals that he was very interested in landing there before Phoenix started struggling during the season. Jimmy knew they were one of the few options in free agency with the cap space to give him his deal. Brooklyn took another step backwards in their rebuild, and I wouldn’t think they would still see Butler as a match.
If a trade could be Butler for Ingram +salary dump contracts, why in the world would the Heat not take that? They don’t lose depth, they gain a potential 20+ ppg when Ingram is healthy, do whatever they want with Ingram after the season at no extra cost… I don’t get the holdup. Jimmy contributes nothing right now. Is it the salary dump players coming with Ingram having extra years on their deals?
They would’ve done something like this already. They’re holding out for a real asset or two. It may come down to a trade like this is all they can get, but why do it now when you have another week for teams to come out of the woodwork with real offers?
I think the Warriors let the Butler rumors sizzle just to let everyone know they are serious about making a trade – not for Jimmy – but to signal the league, just in case a team wants to move on from a superstar.
Miami Gets: Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones
NO Gets: Jimmy Butler, future 2nd round pick with conditions that will never mature.
Jones contract goes into 2027 so that might deter this… but I think its the most logical trade here…. Jimmy Butler being miserable is an added bonus for me lol
Miami gets near AS caliber starter, and a guy to replace Caleb Martin in Jones… NO gets a marketable name they can sell merch on for a year.. then move in a bigger deal in the summer when he obviously opts into 52 mill
It’s a trade for Zion
they would still need to include Jones to match salary.. NO aren’t trading Zion (at least from anything I’ve heard or read).. they are shopping Ingram.. and he’s the one named in the post
You can tell the deadline is getting close. Posters other than Sillivan coming up with some wacky trade proposals.
The trade I created is the only one that could be made between them.. unless NO is sending half its roster to miami.. who would then need to cut half of theirs lol… unless it’s a 3 team deal the “crazy” trade I just made is the only one with matching salaries…. (I used the ESPN trade machine)
Who contacted who about who? Am I reading this right?
Riley will turn lemons into lemonade. Somehow the Heat will end up with Fox. The best deal I’ve seen has:
Suns: Butler
Kings: Beal
Heat: Fox and Huerter
Fox is a horrible fit with the heat… he’s Tyler Herro… but older. Who plays the 3? Who runs the point?
Fox, Herro, Highsmith, Bam, Ware.
Herro is not remotely comparable to Fox
Looks good on paper, but the kings are not ready to give up on Fox just yet. They still have hope of him staying long-term.
Most of us can see that hope is not going to work out well, but it’s where the kings are today.
Ingram a spo and Riley guy? I highly doubt it.