Jimmy Butler Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Notes: Ware, Butler, Christopher, Adebayo

December 23rd, 2024 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kel’el Ware was impressive on Saturday night in his first game action in nearly a month, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. With Kevin Love unavailable for personal reasons, the rookie center came off the Heat bench to deliver eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 14 minutes. Coach Erik Spoelstra said the performance was a result of the work Ware has been putting in since the start of training camp.

“He has been doing what he needs to do,” Spoelstra said. “This is what I really respect about what he’s done so far as a young player. He has not gotten caught up in anything other than daily improvement, which is hard to do if you’re not necessarily playing every single game. But you commit to the process, you commit to the work in the weight room, pre-practice, film sessions, all the things. Young players sometimes can think we’re a little bit crazy with all of that, and he hasn’t. He’s embraced all of it. So it’s going to happen for him.”

One good game won’t guarantee more playing time for Ware, but there’s a greater opportunity after Miami traded backup center Thomas Bryant to Indiana. While Ware has a large learning curve as a 20-year-old on a veteran team, Chiang notes that he has impressed his teammates with his approach to the game.

“He has really fit in with us well because he just continues to work hard,” Love said. “He listens to every single one of us, he wants to apply things that are taught to him both on and off the floor. He has really just continued to chase the game.”

There’s more from Miami:

It’s appearing more likely that Jimmy Butler will finish out the season in Miami, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN. Talking with NBA executives at the G League Showcase, Marks cited a “growing consensus” that the Heat will hold onto Butler past the deadline unless he becomes a distraction or they receive an offer that’s too good to pass up.
Josh Christopher hasn’t gotten into an NBA game since signing a two-way contract with the Heat, but he’s already competed for championships during Summer League and at the G League Showcase, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Christopher scored 31 points on Sunday, his 13th straight game of 20 or more, as Sioux Falls fell to Westchester. That came after leading the Summer League team to a title in Las Vegas. “Just trying to be a sponge and not take the opportunity for granted,” Christopher said, “but just take advantage of it and learn as much as I can, and use the minutes as an opportunity just to grow and help win ball games.”
The Heat are still reeling after letting a late 22-point lead slip away in Saturday’s game at Orlando, Chiang adds in a separate story. Miami was outscored 37-8 in the fourth quarter while suffering its most frustrating loss of the season. “I feel like we relaxed because we were up,” Bam Adebayo said. “I feel like that’s the karma of the game. You relax and then you let a team get hot, and then it goes the other way and you’re trying to fight back.”

Stein’s Latest: Butler, Beal, Nnaji, Kuzma, Hawkins

December 23rd, 2024 at 8:08am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns‘ interest in acquiring Jimmy Butler is “absolutely genuine,” but they may not have enough assets to entice the Heat, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required).

In theory, Bradley Beal‘s $50MM contract is a good salary match f0r Butler’s $48.8MM deal, and it’s being portrayed in some circles that Beal’s no-trade clause is the major impediment. That’s not really accurate, according to Stein, who states that there’s little evidence that the Heat have interest in adding the 31-year-old guard.

Beal has two more seasons left on his contract at $53.7MM and $57.1MM, which would greatly impact Miami’s future roster flexibility. He has also missed 36% of the Suns’ games since he joined the team at the start of last season. His scoring has dropped significantly after leaving Washington as he’s no longer being asked to carry the offense, although his shooting percentages are still strong at .504/.375/.795.

Stein notes that Phoenix doesn’t have many options to sweeten the deal for Miami. As a second-apron team, the Suns can’t aggregate contracts in a trade and they’ve already parted with most of their draft assets. They don’t have control over their first-round picks for the next six years, leaving just their 2031 first-rounder and three second-rounders to offer.

Stein shares more inside information from around the league:

Stein confirms a report from KC Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network that Zeke Nnaji‘s contract could stand in the way of a potential Nuggets-Bulls trade. One version of a deal would send Nnaji and Michael Porter Jr. to Chicago in exchange for Zach LaVine and Torrey Craig, but the Bulls are reluctant to make a four-year commitment to Nnaji, who has a $32MM contract that runs through 2027/28. Stein reiterates that Denver is considering whether it makes more sense to trade Porter for two rotational pieces, rather than trying to land LaVine.
League executives believe the Wizards are “eager” to move veteran forward Kyle Kuzma before the trade deadline, according to Stein. Washington had a deal in place with Dallas involving Kuzma last winter, but he chose to stay with the Wizards when given the option. He’s not expected to be consulted this time, Stein adds, as Washington’s front office seeks to tear down a roster that has compiled a league-worst 4-22 record. Stein points out that Kuzma has $3MM in unlikely bonuses that could complicate a deal (since they count against the aprons), but his contract is otherwise team-friendly with a declining salary that will reach $19.4MM in 2026/27. Stein adds that the idea that the Mavericks might pursue Kuzma again was “strongly dismissed,” but the Kings could be an option. He describes Sacramento’s recent interest in Kuzma as “up-and-down.”
Stein considers Jordan Hawkins to be among the players who the Pelicans are unlikely to trade before the deadline. The 22-year-old guard is averaging 13.1 PPG in his second NBA season and has taken on a larger role in New Orleans’ offense. Stein previously listed Herbert Jones, Trey Murphy and rookie center Yves Missi as keepers for the Pelicans.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Butler, Herro, Stevens

December 21st, 2024 at 8:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat dropped a close game to Oklahoma City on Friday, but the toughest part of the night for Bam Adebayo came in the locker room, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Miami’s center had to get seven stitches above his left eye after being struck in the face early in the third quarter. He was able to return to the game a few minutes later, but he didn’t enjoy the medical procedure.

“I’m one of those people, I don’t really like needles,” Adebayo said. “So it’s kind of rough for me in the beginning. But if you love the game enough and obviously I do, and I love being out there with my teammates, you go through stuff like that.”

Adebayo remained effective even after the treatment, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds and a block in 36 minutes. The Heat outscored the Thunder by five points while he was in the game, and his determination to return inspired his teammates.

“That’s what makes Bam Bam,” Tyler Herro said. “He’s able to impact the game in so many ways. Then he gets hurt or gets his eye split open, and he’s able to get back here and get stitches and jump right back in the game. It shows how much he loves the game. He wants to be out there to help us win. That’s what you want out of your captain.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Jimmy Butler sat out tonight’s game at Orlando after leaving Friday’s contest midway through the first quarter with a stomach illness, Chiang adds. It’s the sixth missed game of the season for Butler, who has been the subject of recent trade speculation. “We got to figure this thing out,” Adebayo said of playing without Butler. “You can’t harp on who’s in, who’s out. It’s about going out there and trying to get the W.”
Herro is playing well enough to merit All-Star consideration, but actually being selected for the event will be difficult, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Herro is averaging 24.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists, which are all career highs, but he faces some strong competition to land an Eastern Conference backcourt spot. “I would love to be an All-Star,” he said, “but there’s a lot of good guards in the East when you think about it. So it’ll be tough.”
Considering their lack of depth at point guard, the Heat should consider locking up Isaiah Stevens before he gets signed by another team, Winderman adds in a mailbag column. Winderman suggests promoting Dru Smith to a standard contract and giving his two-way slot to Stevens, who is currently with Miami’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls. The Heat have a roster opening that must be filled by December 29.

Southeast Notes: Hunter, Young, Williams, Butler, Jaquez

December 21st, 2024 at 8:19am CST by Tristan Tucker

De’Andre Hunter is playing like a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, providing the Hawks with a scoring punch off the bench, Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Through 17 outings, Hunter’s 19.8 points per game and 45.3% shooting from beyond the arc are both career highs.

“He’s definitely in the running for Sixth Man of the Year, especially if you keep winning and doing the things we’ve been doing,” guard Trae Young said. “Because there’s not a guy come on the bench doing what he’s doing right now and being aggressive and scoring and efficiency and things like that. He’s really bought into it, and it’s made our team a lot better.”

The former No. 4 overall pick out of Virginia was an effective starter after being selected in 2019, averaging 14.3 PPG in 263 games (237 starts). After missing the first 11 games this year, the Hawks elected to bring him off the bench instead of starting him, and he’s thrived in the new role.

“We all know De’Andre can play,” center Onyeka Okongwu said. “He’s been able to play. He’s always been a scorer, defender. He’s finally healthy. Nothing he’s doing is really surprising to me. I’m glad he’s having the year he’s having right now. He deserves it the most.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Young is averaging career lows of 39.0% shooting from the field and 32.0% from three, but Williams writes in another story that the three-time All-Star is focused on making an all-around impact to win games rather than dwelling on his shooting percentages. “My percentages aren’t the way they’ve been, but I’m taking different types of shots, too,” Young said, noting that he has no qualms about taking low-percentage shots at the end of quarters or as the shot clock expires. “I’m obviously getting guys involved, and that’s my main priority, and obviously, the defense is the first priority.” As Williams notes, the Hawks star is leading the NBA in assists per game this season with 12.2 per contest.
Since their starting center returned from injury on Dec. 3, the Hornets continue to take a conservative approach with Mark Williams, including having him not play in back-to-backs. Williams understands the vision, but is eager to resume his normal playing schdule, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes. “Just overall, as a leader of the team and one of the leaders of the organization, you have to understand what is your vision, what is your bigger picture? And as bad as you want to win games, we also want to make sure that we are putting our players in the best position possible to have great careers,” coach Charles Lee said of Williams.
Heat star Jimmy Butler exited in the first quarter of Friday’s game against the Thunder after turning his ankle and didn’t return. However, as noted by ESPN, he was ruled out for the rest of the night due to an illness, not his ankle injury. There was no word of the ankle in the team’s announcement. It’s not yet clear how much time Butler, involved in trade rumors this season, will miss due to either ailment.
With Butler ruled out, second-year Heat wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. started the second half and played 30 minutes, his third-most in a game this season. Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel speculates whether Jaquez could serve as Butler’s replacement in the starting small forward role if the latter is moved via trade.

Trade Rumors: MPJ, LaVine, Butler, Suns, Nets

December 20th, 2024 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets are open to the idea of making a significant trade prior to the February 6 trade deadline, but they’re hoping they’ll see enough from their current group in the coming weeks to feel confident about not having to make a major in-season deal, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, who takes a closer look at Denver’s trade candidates and potential paths.

Meanwhile, following up on the rumor linking Zach LaVine to Denver and Michael Porter Jr. to the Bulls, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) confirm the Nuggets are indeed considering whether to trade Porter, whose $35.9MM cap hit would be necessary to complete a trade for a player earning a substantial salary.

According to Stein and Fischer, the Nuggets have “always been somewhat unsure” about Porter’s value on the trade market, due in part to his injury history, and are wary about making the team smaller by swapping him out for a guard like LaVine.

Sources tell The Stein Line that some people in the Nuggets’ front office believe that if the team needs to make a moving involving Porter, trading him for two starting-caliber players instead of a single star would be the best course of action. Fischer and Stein point to the Hawks‘ duo of De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic and the Nets‘ duo of Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith as examples.

I may be unsure about Porter’s trade value myself, but given two years and $79MM left on his contract after this season, I have to think that Atlanta and Brooklyn would require some serious sweeteners to seriously consider those trade ideas. That’s an issue for the Nuggets, who aren’t exactly stocked with draft assets — they’ve traded away three future first-round picks and included protections on all of them, complicating their ability to offer additional first-rounders or swaps in subsequent trades. That’s why targeting a distressed asset like LaVine makes sense in the first place.

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:

The Suns are Jimmy Butler‘s preferred landing spot in the event of a trade, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter links). However, Gambadoro says Phoenix plans to wait until at least mid-January before making any decisions on trades, which includes anything involving Butler. Although Gambadoro believes the Suns like Butler, it’s unclear if they’d have the pieces to acquire him, given that Bradley Beal (who holds a no-trade clause) would have to be included in any deal.
Net Income of NetsDaily rounds up a few recent trade rumors involving the Nets and provides his own analysis on each of them. According to NetsDaily, Brooklyn is believed to be seeking at least one first-round pick and potentially “a prospect or two” for Cameron Johnson and is very reluctant to take on multiyear money in trades unless the accompanying return is “rich.”
Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) has published his pre-deadline trade primer for the 2024/25 season, running through all 30 NBA teams and taking a closer look at the big questions they have to answer, their tradable players and draft picks, and various restrictions they’re facing.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report examines 10 potential trade candidates, including a pair of Trail Blazers centers (Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams), and considers which landing spots are most realistic for them.

Southeast Notes: Heat Picks, Jovic, Banchero, Harris, Valanciunas

December 19th, 2024 at 7:59pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Heat have just one first-round pick available to trade unconditionally, with two others having been traded away to acquire Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. The only picks Miami can trade unconditionally are their 2030 or 2031 picks, but not both due to the Stepien Rule.

This complicates matters for the Heat as they approach what could be an eventful deadline, given Butler’s uncertain future with the team. The Heat don’t generally look to trade stars for draft picks, but acquiring win-now players in a deal that sends Butler away might be more difficult without many tradable picks.

Draft picks matter in the trade landscape that saw the Knicks surrender five first-rounders for Mikal Bridges this year and the Timberwolves give up four in exchange for Rudy Gobert in 2022. The Heat could, of course, recoup picks in a potential Butler trade, but Miami hasn’t traded a player for a pick (without giving one up) since 2009.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Heat forward Nikola Jovic sprained his ankle after rejoining the rotation on Dec. 12 and was sidelined for Monday’s game against Detroit. However, as Chiang writes in another story, it doesn’t appear Jovic will miss much time with the injury, as he’s listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Thunder.
Magic star Paolo Banchero has missed 23 games with a torn abdominal muscle and he’s continuing to progress, but hasn’t yet been able to participate in contact drills thus far, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel writes. “His spirits have been great,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “He understands that it is a process, and does he want to be on the court? Absolutely. … He’s done a great job of responding [to] that, to staying engaged, to communicating, being in and communicating in film sessions, all of those little things that he’s able to do, that he can control, he’s doing a great job of it.” According to Beede, Banchero has been able to do ball-handling and jogging at his own pace.
After being upgraded to questionable for Thursday’s game against the Thunder earlier today, Magic guard Gary Harris ended up missing the matchup, Beede writes in the same story. However, Harris’ return to the floor appears imminent. He hasn’t played since November 25 and is averaging 4.1 points per game in 17 outings this season.
The Wizards‘ front office continues to emphasize its primary goal of player development this season. That includes playing rookies heavy minutes while some veterans are coming off the bench. However, the Wizards were upfront with center Jonas Valanciunas this summer about their plans before he agreed to a three-year contract with the team, according to The Washington Post’s Varun Shankar. “I know what’s going on. I know we have a bright future in front of us, so we got to keep following the plan, keep working, keep grinding, keep getting better,” Valanciunas said. “I’m [an] older guy, but in this environment I got to be young.” According to Shankar, other veterans like Marvin Bagley III are also on board with the plan.

Heat Notes: Smith, Butler, Expectations

December 18th, 2024 at 8:00pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat guard Dru Smith, who is on a two-way contract, has become a key rotation player over the past six games in part due to his impressive defense, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The Heat have been substantially better defensively when Smith has been on the court compared to when he’s not.

“I’m trying to bring as much energy as I can on the defensive end, be disruptive and just try to make inspiring plays on the defensive end,” said Smith, who turns 27 on Dec. 30. “And also just take open shots when they’re there. I want to try to do a better job of getting guys easier looks on the offensive end, getting Bam [Adebayo] some easy baskets in pick-and-rolls, things like that. But mainly when I check in, just trying to breathe life into everybody and bring good energy and try to turn a couple games around.”

As Chiang observes, Smith’s traditional statistics over the six-game stretch have been solid if unspectacular, with the third-year guard averaging 7.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.2 APG and 2.0 SPG on .485/.529/.750 shooting in 25.3 MPG. But Smith, who is a candidate to be promoted to a standard contract, has drawn praise from his All-Star teammates and his head coach for his heady play.

“When you find guys that just do winning things on both ends of the court over and over and over — that can be consistent to that — that’s a superpower in this league,” Spoelstra said of Smith. “Everybody is searching for that, but he’s kind of the glue that fits, and he can make any unit work — the second unit, the starters. So that’s that thing I say, make me watch, make me play you and then make me for sure not even think about putting somebody else in there.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

In an interview with Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, Smith admitted his NBA journey has been frustrating at times, particularly the 2022/23 campaign, when he was signed and waived multiple times while on two-way deals with Miami. “Yeah, no, there were plenty of days of frustration,” Smith said. “Just questioning, is this what I’m supposed to be doing? You feel like you’re chasing something that just keeps getting further away. But it was all worth it and just continue. But I’m still in the same position. I’m still here on a two-way, still trying to do the same thing. So, keeping that in mind at the same time, always trying to appreciate my opportunities that I get. I try to take advantage of them to the best of my ability.”
Appearing on NBA Today on Tuesday (Twitter video link), Shams Charania of ESPN referred to Jimmy Butler‘s situation with the Heat as “fluid.” According to Charania, Miami doesn’t feel any urgency to move Butler, but the front office is still open to offers for the star forward, with the Suns and Warriors believed to be his top choices if he does switch teams before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
Aside from Pelle Larsson and Tyler Herro, just about every other player on the Heat’s standard roster has fallen short of expectations this season, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, who explains why that has been bad for the team’s on-court product and its ability to improve through trades.

Lakers Rumors: Trade Targets, LeBron, Davis, Bronny, Hachimura

December 17th, 2024 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are expected to be one of the most active buyers on the trade market during the 2024/25 season, though it remains unclear how much of their available draft capital they’re willing to move and how significant a deal they’ll make, says Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

As Buha notes, the Lakers were also considered likely to buy last season, but ultimately stood pat at the February trade deadline, choosing not to surrender a first-round pick. However, there’s hope that Golden State’s deal for Dennis Schröder (which saw the Warriors give up three second-round picks and get one back) may be a signal that teams’ asking prices for useful role players will be more modest this time around.

The Lakers are believed to be in the market for three kinds of players, according to Buha: a “physical, defensive-minded” center, a three-and-D wing, and an athletic guard with some size who can defend at the point of attack. As Buha writes, players the Lakers have been linked to in the past, including Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas and Nets wings Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, are among the targets who would make sense at this season’s deadline.

Jazz guard Collin Sexton and center Walker Kessler, Raptors swingman Bruce Brown, Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant and center Robert Williams, and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma are some of the other potential players of interest who have come up in Buha’s conversations with team and league sources. However, the Lakers aren’t expected to be in on former All-Stars like Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and Brandon Ingram, Buha adds.

Here’s more on the Lakers and their approach to the trade deadline:

Unsurprisingly, the Lakers aren’t considering trading LeBron James and Anthony Davis and almost certainly wouldn’t do so unless they asked to be dealt, sources tell Buha. Other players unlikely to be moved include Austin Reaves, Max Christie, and Dalton Knecht, who are viewed as potential long-term pieces.
While Bronny James isn’t untouchable, he’s not expected to be included in a trade that doesn’t involve his father, sources tell The Athletic.
One or more of the Lakers’ four mid-sized contracts – D’Angelo Russell ($18.69MM cap hit), Rui Hachimura ($17MM), Gabe Vincent ($11MM), Jarred Vanderbilt ($10.71MM) – figures to be included in any deal of note this season. Of those players, Hachimura looks like the one the Lakers would least want to move, Buha writes, though the forward would probably also have the most trade value of the four. Russell hasn’t drawn significant interest from potential suitors during previous discussions, Vincent has dealt with injuries and has struggled offensively since joining the Lakers, and Vanderbilt has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from offseason surgeries on both feet.

Heat Notes: Bryant, Spoelstra, 14th Roster Spot, Butler

December 16th, 2024 at 2:51pm CST by Rory Maher

Head coach Erik Spoelstra cited “flexibility” as one reason why the Heat decided to trade big man Thomas Bryant to the Pacers for a 2031 second-round pick swap, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The parting sounds quite amicable, with Spoelstra praising Bryant for staying upbeat amid a challenging individual season — he wasn’t a regular part of Miami’s rotation.

“We’re all big fans of TB,” Spoelstra said. “And what you have in this profession is your reputation, your character, obviously your talent. But when you make an impression on everybody here and everybody feels the same way, that’s a win. He deserves the opportunity to play.

“These are always thought decisions, especially when you make ’em during the season. But I think this is one of the cases where it makes sense for both parties. And because he was such a pro, we worked with TB and his agent to make this happen.”

Here’s more from Miami:

After trading Bryant, the Heat have just 13 players on standard contracts (they had only been carrying 14 instead of the maximum 15 due tax concerns). As of Sunday, they have 14 days to fill the 14th spot — they’re expected to take the full two weeks to make that decision. Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald takes a look at the many implications of the open 14th roster spot, including the players who could be positively impacted.
The Heat are listening to trade offers for Jimmy Butler. He’s reportedly contemplating a future outside of Miami, with several reports indicating he plans to decline his player option for next season to hit free agency in the offseason. The Heat could trade Butler, but should they? Winderman considers that question in a subscriber-only story.
In case you missed it, we passed along more Heat notes yesterday, plus several notes and rumors involving Butler over the past few days.

Stein’s Latest: Schröder, Johnson, Pelicans, Lakers, Kings, Reed

December 15th, 2024 at 7:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors acquired a valuable rotation piece in Dennis Schröder this weekend, but it’s possible he won’t last the season with his new team. Schröder can traded again this season and could be part of a package to get a star-level player before February’s trade deadline, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post.

Miami’s Jimmy Butler could be among the players targeted by the Warriors, whom many rival teams believe will make a splashier move this season. Stein notes the Warriors aggressively pursued Lauri Markkanen and Paul George during the offseason.

The timing of the Warriors’ trade for Schröder was significant. The latest CBA instituted a new exception that allowed players who are traded by Dec. 16th to be aggregated in another deal before the trade deadline.

Golden State had interest in trading for Nets’ forward Cameron Johnson as well as Schröder but would likely have needed to include Jonathan Kuminga in a deal for both players, Stein suggests.

Here’s more from Stein:

The Pelicans aren’t inclined to trade young pieces Herbert Jones, Yves Missi and Trey Murphy but they are open to trade inquiries for virtually anyone else on the roster.
The Lakers aren’t looking to make a blockbuster move but they’d like to add depth and are expected to make at least one trade.
The Kings are dangling the contracts of Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles in order to upgrade the roster.
The Sixers have some interest in a reunion with Paul Reed, who waived by the Pistons on Saturday. However, it’s unlikely they’d attempt to add him prior to the trade deadline in order to maximize their roster and cap flexibility. Reed was waived by Philadelphia during the offseason.