Jimmy Butler‘s return from his seven-game suspension hasn’t changed the Heat‘s desire to work out a trade before the February 6 deadline, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required).
Butler was back in the starting lineup and played 33 and 28 minutes as Miami split a pair of weekend games, but concerns remain that the relationship will continue to deteriorate if he’s still on the roster past the deadline. Sources tell Stein that the Heat are “exploring every potential pathway” to assemble a multi-team trade to get Butler off their roster.
The Suns remain Butler’s preferred location, but it’s not clear that Phoenix is eager to pursue him or that it has enough assets left to make a competitive offer, Stein adds. Phoenix gave up three second-round picks and got one in return in last week’s trade for Nick Richards. That leaves the Suns with just their 2031 first-rounder and a 2025 second-rounder from Denver to offer in any deal.
The Raptors have been mentioned as a team that might be interested in helping to facilitate a Butler trade, and Stein says a well-placed source told him that “about half the league” has expressed similar sentiments to Miami. He cites the Timberwolves as another club that might be willing to help the Heat move Butler on to his next location in exchange for other assets.
Stein shares more inside information from around the NBA:
- League sources confirmed to Stein a report that Butler’s camp hasn’t told the Bucks not to pursue a deal. However, he believes Milwaukee might be more interested in reviving its previous interest in Suns guard Bradley Beal if it’s going to add a player in that salary range. Stein points out that the Bucks can’t trade for either player without dropping below the second apron, which would likely mean trading Pat Connaughton‘s $9.4MM contract without taking back any salary in return.
- Some rival teams are questioning why the Hornets were willing to take on extra salary in the Richards trade while only netting two second-round picks, Stein adds. Charlotte acquired Josh Okogie at $8.3MM while parting with Richards’ $5MM contract, a move that will save the Suns more than $20MM in luxury tax. Stein speculates that the Hornets may have another move planned involving Okogie before the deadline.
- Stein hears that the Nets don’t feel an urgency to trade Cameron Johnson because they’ve already weakened their team enough for tanking purposes by unloading Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith. Brooklyn is just 4-13 since sending Schröder to Golden State and has moved into sixth in the race for the best lottery odds.
- Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is typically active at the deadline, but Stein doesn’t believe the team’s injury woes will force him into a move. “We look at everything,” Harrison said in a recent interview with Dalton Trigg for his Mavs Step Back Substack (subscription required), “but we’re not going to be reactionary to a short-term injury.”
- Discussing the Mavericks, Stein also writes that it would be a “misnomer” to suggest Dallas is shopping center Daniel Gafford. However, he didn’t outright dispute a previous report stating that the Mavs have been willing to discuss the big man.
If the hornets have plans of trading Okogie for assets they better do it soon or hope he has some break out games with extended minutes.
Okogie is garbage though, he’s not breaking out ever
I thought it was cleared up in a Front Office post here that the Bucks could duck the second apron in a single transaction (meaning they wouldn’t need to dump Connaughton separately prior to a larger sub-second apron deal…)?
Going to be hard trading him without giving up a 1st round pick. Doesn’t he have a option next year? So only teams that can do it must be way under the cap.
Yeah, that’s right. It will likely involve Connaughton either way, but it doesn’t need to be a separate transaction. I’ve updated the wording in our item to reflect that.
The only rumor I don’t believe is Bucks are interested in Beal
Why？
Middleton contract remaining $66 million
Beal $161 million
Differ $95 million
I heard something sort of a 3 or 4-way musical chairs trade of Middleton to the Heat; Butler to the Suns; Beal to the Bucks. I didn’t think it was credible until I saw this report here, so I’m wondering. And this is why i’m wondering.
Suns and Butler want each other.
Riley and the Heat want to move on from this Butler mess…but not to inherit the Beal siuation.
And now we have this mention of the Bucks and Beal. If this wasn’t mentioned in some different places as it is now, I wouldn’t have thought the musical chairs thing I heard before was even remotely credible. Now, you have to wonder because it seems like everyone would get something they want.
Rumors have 3 sections
Section 1
Story – musical
Section 2
Speculation – guess
Section 3
Doubtful truth – trust
Both Bucks and Suns have only 2031 First available for trade
If this is the trade
Suns get Butler
Raptors get Beal
Bucks get expiring contract from Raptors
4th team get Middleton and Bucks filler AND both Firsts
Heat get trade package from 4th team
Raptors and Heat say No and No
I was hoping Cam Johnson would be freed, but he played too well and his idiotic front office now thinks his trade value is “MJ in his prime”-level. No shot they trade him now, no one will meet that ask.
Feb 8 Cam will be traded.
Lillard and Beal seems like an odd pairing. Beal does nothing to improve the perimeter defense, and the Bucks perimeter defense is atrocious. That team should not be making any trade unless it addresses that shortcoming.
Hilarious that so many teams are calling Miami…
Not to trade for Butler, but to facilitate a trade elsewhere and get assets…