Heat Rumors

Heat Notes: Butler, Herro, Jovic, Highsmith

January 12th, 2025 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

When the Heat announced that they’d suspended Jimmy Butler for seven games, they explained the decision by stating that the veteran forward had engaged in “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team.” However, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel hears from a source close to the situation that the club at one point sought to suspend Butler for a “failure to render services.”

The difference wouldn’t have just been a matter of semantics. As Winderman outlines, a standard suspension for conduct detrimental to the team costs a player 1/145th of his full-season salary per game. In Butler’s case, that works out to $2,355,798 over seven games. However, when a player is suspended for a failure to render services, it costs him 1/91.6th of his salary per game — that would’ve resulted in $3,729,157 in lost salary for the 35-year-old.

Based on Winderman’s reporting, it’s unclear whether the Heat reconsidered taking that route or were prevented from doing so — it presumably would’ve required the club to prove that Butler, who had been playing in games leading up to the suspension, had refused to render the services required by his contract.

Hours after the Heat initially announced the seven-game ban, the National Basketball Players Association put out a statement indicating it intended to file a grievance. It’s safe to assume the NBPA’s objections to the suspension would’ve been even more vociferous if the team had accused Butler of a failure to render services and attempted to recoup more of his salary.

Here’s more on the Heat:

After suffering demoralizing losses to Utah and Sacramento in the first two games of Butler’s suspension, the Heat have righted the ship, beating Portland on Saturday for their third straight victory. As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald points out, two players who were believed to be part of Miami’s 2023 trade offer for then-Blazers guard Damian Lillard led the way in the victory, as Tyler Herro scored a game-high 32 points and Nikola Jovic contributed a personal season-high of 21 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists. “I like his improvement,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Jovic. “He’s playing with more consistency. He’s preparing with more consistency.”
Jackson notes within the same Herald story that starting Haywood Highsmith at power forward has been a winning formula for Miami this season — the club is 17-11 when he starts and just 3-6 when he doesn’t. “He was great tonight,” Spoelstra said after Satuday’s win. “He gives us, when he’s at his best, point of attack defense, harassing other teams’ better guards and wing players. It’s a thankless job except in our locker room.” Highsmith re-signed with the Heat as an unrestricted free agent during the 2024 offseason on a two-year, $10.8MM deal.
Road wins in Golden State, Utah, and Portland this week show that the Heat aren’t unraveling without Butler, Jackson writes in a separate article for The Miami Herald. Highsmith told reporters that “the vibes are great,” while Herro said the club has rediscovered its identity. “Just rallying around each other, making it about the guys that are here now, the guys that are in this locker room,” Herro said. “We’ve got enough, and that’s all that matters. This is what we wanted to get back on the road, get away from all the chaos and come out here and compete and get back to who we are and get to our identity.”
The Lakers‘ and Clippers‘ home games on Saturday were postponed due to the wildfires in the Los Angeles area, but the Heat flew to L.A. on Saturday and are expecting for now to play the Clippers on Monday and Lakers on Wednesday, says Jackson.

Latest On Jimmy Butler

January 11th, 2025 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

As Jimmy Butler serves out his seven-game suspension, the Heat don’t appear any closer to finding someone to take him off their hands, writes Steve Bulpett of Heavy. Numerous executives and other league sources who talked to Bulpett expressed skepticism that Miami will be presented with a deal to its liking before the February 6 trade deadline.

It’s partially due to Butler’s age and desire for a contract extension this summer, but it’s also because of his history of disrupting teams whenever he’s unhappy.

“It’s more difficult than people think,” said one team’s head of basketball operations. “First of all, Jimmy’s 35 and doesn’t have much value. And then the team that would like him the most is probably Phoenix, because they’re so bad and they have the worst contract in (Bradley) Beal. Other than that, I don’t know of any teams that would want to take on Jimmy Butler, other than teams that just want to dump contracts — and Miami won’t go for that. I just don’t know how it’s going to work.

“But all this stuff with Jimmy — all the stuff in Miami and Minnesota and Chicago and Philly — all of it is because he wants to get paid. That’s where he’s at right now. He wants to be paid for what he’s done for Miami.”

Butler, who’s in his sixth year with the Heat, has only appeared in 22 of the team’s first 36 games. Coming into this season, he had vowed to be more available after being challenged by team president Pat Riley when Miami was eliminated from the playoffs last spring. Butler has played 58, 52, 57, 64 and 60 games the past five seasons, and his frequent absences have made the organization reluctant to offer the extension he wants.

Butler is scoring 17.6 PPG so far this season — his lowest mark in more than a decade — although his shooting splits remain strong at .552/.375/.788. At age 35, there’s plenty of doubt around the league about whether he can still play at a level to justify an expensive new contract. Butler has stated that he plans to turn down his $52.4MM player option for next season and test free agency, but that may not be his best financial move if he’s still in Miami past the deadline.

“You’d have to say Jimmy’s been good for Miami overall, but he’s also been very difficult,” a league source told Bulpett. “I think it’s just reached an end. It’s like he’s in charge; he doesn’t play all the time, and he’s had injuries that always seem to come up. He’s not as good as it was. He got a lot of mileage out of being a leader, a go-to guy, a big game player, but he wasn’t there night in and night out.”

Rival executives were skeptical about Riley’s commitment to Butler when he announced in late December that the Heat were taking him off the market, Bulpett adds. The feeling was that Riley was responding to what he viewed as inadequate trade offers.

“I really believe (the Heat) had discussions (with other teams) about Jimmy before Pat said, ‘We’re not trading Jimmy Butler.’ At the very least, they went through every single team and what was realistic — like, there’s only a handful of teams that are trying to win right now and that Jimmy would want to go to,” one executive said. “And Miami looked at everything and basically said they weren’t doing any of that crap. So Pat says they’re not trading him, and Jimmy says what he says. So maybe now Jimmy will be open to more teams that he’d be willing to go to.”

Butler has been working out at Kaseya Center with assistant coach Octavio De La Grana and two other staff members while the Heat are on a road trip, but coach Erik Spoelstra declined to comment on those proceedings before tonight’s game at Portland, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

“Of course I’ve talked to him. I’m very close to coach,” Spoelstra told reporters. “That’s between me and coach O, with all due respect.”

Trade talks regarding Butler are ongoing, but the Heat still haven’t received an offer they consider acceptable, a source tells Jackson, who adds that they remain willing to bring him back for a January 17 home game if he’s not traded by then.

Jackson also hears that Miami wouldn’t be opposed to keeping Butler on the roster for the rest of the season and dealing with the situation this summer.

Community Shootaround: First Half’s Pleasant Surprises, Disappointments

January 11th, 2025 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The fact that Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball has been able to play in 19 games so far this season is an achievement in itself, given that he missed the previous two-and-a-half years while dealing with ongoing knee problems. As Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps write for ESPN.com (Insider link), what’s even more impressive is how impactful Ball has been during his time on the court.

Although his numbers, including 5.8 points per game on .359/.318/.750, don’t look especially strong, Ball is once again making the sorts of winning plays that don’t show up in the box score. Chicago has a +6.9 net rating when he’s on the court, compared to a -5.0 mark when he’s not.

“Someone is going to get him next year and look smart,” one executive said to ESPN of Ball, who is on an expiring contract.

Ball is among several players identified by Windhorst and Bontemps as the pleasant surprises of the first half of the 2024/25 NBA season. Here are a few more of the names on that list:

Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks: “He’s been everything the Knicks were hoping for and more, and his absence has left a larger hole than the Wolves would’ve ever thought,” a scout told ESPN.
Cade Cunningham, Pistons: “When the Pistons gave him the max, there were quite a few people who thought it was a risk, and he’s been very strong,” a general manager said.
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs: “What he’s doing is just ridiculous,” an executive said. “Say whatever you want about him meeting expectations; if he gets that roster to the playoffs, he should get MVP votes. And he might.”
Norman Powell, Clippers: “He’s gotten more minutes and shots, but no one would’ve believed he’d take this leap at this stage of his career,” an exec said to ESPN.

James Harden (Clippers), Dyson Daniels (Hawks), and Cameron Johnson (Nets) are among the others mentioned by ESPN’s duo.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, Heat teammates Terry Rozier and Jaime Jaquez, and Sixers center Joel Embiid are among the season’s biggest disappointments, as identified by Windhorst, Bontemps, and the sources they spoke to. Here are a few more of the players in that group:

Paul George, Sixers: “Philly probably knew there was a chance they’d have a rough PG year on this contract but they probably thought it would be year four — not year one,” an executive said.
Kyle Kuzma, Wizards: “I know he’s dealt with an injury,” one scout told ESPN, “but I think this has been the most disappointing season of his career.”
Scoot Henderson, Trail Blazers: “I thought it was a guarantee he’d play much better this year than last and show some things,” an exec said. “I’ve been wrong. His numbers are down, and the eye (test) confirms it.”

We want to know what you think.

Which NBA players have you been most pleasantly surprised or disappointed by so far this season? Are there any names on ESPN’s lists – or scouts’ and executives’ comments – that you strongly agree or disagree with?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Eastern Notes: Embiid, Butler, LaVine, Valanciunas

January 11th, 2025 at 1:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers center Joel Embiid missed a third consecutive game on Friday due to a sprained left foot, but head coach Nick Nurse said the team doesn’t believe the issue will be a long-term concern, suggesting the big man could be back in action as early as Sunday, per Dan Gelston of The Associated Press.

Still, Embiid’s availability has been spotty all season. He has played in more than two consecutive games just twice, appearing in 13 total contests out of Philadelphia’s 36. The 76ers are 7-2 in the last nine games Embiid has played, but his frequent appearances on the injury report – along with a handful of other health issues affecting players up an down the roster – have hindered the club’s ability to build chemistry and momentum.

“It’s difficult with guys in and out of the lineup,” point guard Tyrese Maxey said, according to Gelston. “As soon as we get some continuity, as soon as we get flowing, guys miss (games). It’s really difficult. Guys have to kind of change their roles every single night. That puts pressure on us, man. We miss Jo, we miss Paul (George), we miss KJ (Martin). It’s hard to win in this league when you’re not healthy.”

The Sixers’ loss on Friday to a 7-31 New Orleans team missing Zion Williamson was one of their most discouraging defeats of the season. Philadelphia is now 15-21 and is two games back of the Bulls for the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

Here’s more from around the East:

After former Heat star Tim Hardaway Sr. said during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio (Twitter video link) that Miami gave the NBPA a 10-page document and film to back up their assertion that Jimmy Butler engaged in conduct detrimental to the team, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald tweets that he can’t confirm that specific claim. However, Jackson does say that the team was careful in documenting the incidents that led to the seven-game suspension, which is reportedly being challenged by the players’ union.
Bulls guard Zach LaVine is having one of the best seasons of his career and has been even better since the calendar flipped to January, averaging 32.8 points per game on .598/.424/.786 shooting in his first five games of 2025. It hasn’t led to any movement on the trade front though, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who checks in on where things stand with LaVine and notes that it will probably be hard for Chicago to trade the two-time All-Star until there’s more clarity on what’s happening with Butler.
Speaking to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com, veteran center Jonas Valanciunas admitted it has been a “very tough” season in Washington, where the Wizards have an NBA-worst 6-30 record. “I want to win,” he said. “But the situation is what it is, and while I’m in it, I have to do everything I can to improve it. … Winning teams don’t become like that overnight.” Although he’s in the first season of a three-year contract, Valanciunas is considered a candidate to be dealt out of D.C. ahead of the February 6 trade deadline. He told Urbonas that he’s only focused on what he can control on the court. “The agents’, general managers’, and team presidents’ jobs are off the court,” the big man said. “I leave everything to them.”

Southeast Notes: Rozier, Johnson, Jaquez, Banchero, Williams

January 11th, 2025 at 11:58am CST by Tristan Tucker

Terry Rozier is waiting on his three-point luck to turn around, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. A career 36.3% shooter, Rozier is connecting on just 33.2% during his Heat tenure, including 29.2% this season.

“I shoot the same every year. It will work for me. It’s just ups and downs,” Rozier said. “Once it starts clicking, it’s going to start clicking. I don’t care what my percentage is; I know it’s always 50 percent chance of going in.”

Rozier was removed from the starting lineup for 14 games but has been a starter in five of his past six outings. He’s averaging 12.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game on the season. The Heat traded a first-round pick and Kyle Lowry to acquire Rozier ahead of last year’s deadline.

“We all want to start in this league,” Rozier said. “Nobody wants to be a starter and go to the bench no matter what they say. I’m happy being in the starting lineup. It might not be [permanent]; you never know.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

In the same article, Jackson notes that Heat rookie Keshad Johnson received a call from Charlotte after going undrafted in 2024, but Johnson knew he wanted to sign with Miami. “Here is where dreams come true,” Johnson said regarding the Heat’s previous success with undrafted players.
Second-year Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. is enjoying the best stretch of his season, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. He’s averaging 16.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists while shooting 54.5% from the floor and 36.4% on three-pointers in his last four games — he also pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds on Monday and scored a season-high 20 points on Thursday.
Paolo Banchero made his return for the Magic on Friday after missing the last two months with a torn oblique. He scored 34 points in a narrow loss to the Bucks in his first game back, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes. “I didn’t see that one coming, I can tell you that,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “But that’s who he is. The kid’s been working his tail off to get back in. And so, what he was able to do with poise, taking the right shots at the right time, defending, taking matchups on, this tells you how much he wants to go get it and get after it. That’s who he is. He’s a star for a reason.” While the Magic stayed afloat without Banchero, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes that his return and tremendous play gives the team more hope going forward.
Mark Williams has picked up where he left off for the Hornets after returning from health issues that sidelined him for a full year, averaging 12.2 points and 7.7 rebounds in 13 games (10 starts) this year. In an interview with Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina, Williams opened up about his recovery and having his minutes restriction lifted. “In my time that I was out, I was working on my game,” Williams said. “Obviously my teammates are finding me. There are a lot of spots that I’m comfortable in on the floor, whether it’s my floaters or my dunks. I’m also finding them at the same time for kicks and handoffs. That’s just us regaining the chemistry back with my teammates.“

NBA Postpones Saturday’s Lakers, Clippers Games

January 10th, 2025 at 10:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has decided to postpone the Lakers and Clippers games that had been scheduled to take place on Saturday in Los Angeles, the league announced in a press release (Twitter link).

The Spurs had been scheduled to face the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, while the Hornets were supposed to make their first visit to the Intuit Dome to face the Clippers. Dates for the rescheduled games will be announced at a later time, according to the league.

The NBA and its two Los Angeles teams have been communicating with local officials in L.A. and Inglewood, the league said in its statement, adding that postponing the games will ensure no resources are diverted from the wildfire response efforts.

The NBA also said that the league and the players’ union are donating $1MM in support of those affected by the L.A. wildfires, with that money going to the American Red Cross, World Central Kitchen, and other organizations.

Both the Lakers and Clippers are also scheduled to play home games on Monday, with the Lakers hosting the Spurs (again) and the Clippers scheduled to play the Heat. Those matchups are up in the air for now, though Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link) hears that the Clippers expect to play their game vs. Miami.

Saturday’s game is the second postponement for both the Lakers and Hornets, who had been scheduled to face one another on Thursday.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick fought back tears during a media session on Friday discussing the impact of the fires on his community and the loss of his family’s home, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“I was not prepared for what I saw,” Redick said. “It’s complete devastation and destruction. I had to go a kind of a different way to the house, but I went through most of the [Palisades] Village and it’s all gone. And I don’t think you can ever prepare yourself for something like that. Our home, our home is gone.

“… The Palisades community has really just been so good to us. I think that’s the part for us that we’re really struggling with is just the loss of community. And I recognize that people make up community, and we’re going to rebuild, and we want to help lead on that. But all the churches, the schools, the library, like, it’s all gone.”

Redick spoke to reporters about some of the irreplaceable personal and family items that were lost, but stressed that he’s more concerned about those affected by the fires who will have a harder time dealing with the aftermath.

“I don’t want people to feel sorry for me and my family,” Redick said. “We’re going to be alright. There are people that, because of some political issues and some insurance issues, are not going to be alright. And we’re going to do everything we can to help anybody who is down and out because of this.”

Jimmy Butler Notes: Bucks, Trade Timeline, Riley, More

January 10th, 2025 at 8:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Multiple reports this week indicated that the Grizzlies and Bucks are among the teams that have been advised not to pursue a trade for Heat forward Jimmy Butler, and while Sam Amick of The Athletic has “for sure” heard that Memphis received that message, he’s less certain about what’s going on with Milwaukee.

“The Milwaukee thing, I’m admittedly a little confused by,” Amick said during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back (Twitter video link). “… I was told from somebody who 100% would and should know that Jimmy’s camp had not spoken about Milwaukee and also hadn’t been asked about Milwaukee.

While the Bucks were named on Monday as one of the clubs considering the possibility of making a play for Butler, Amick is skeptical that they plan to seriously explore that idea, whether or not they’ve been warned off by the forward’s camp.

“There is chatter about the Bucks and the idea of them kicking it around. Regardless of exactly what was said, I would move off that possibility,” Amick continued. “I don’t sense a lot of eagerness from the Bucks’ side to go down that road.”

Since the Bucks are currently operating about $6.5MM above the second tax apron, they’d have to reduce their team salary by more than that amount before – or as part of – any trade for Butler in order to legally aggregate multiple player contracts for matching purposes.

Here are a few more items related to the NBA’s most prominent trade candidate:

Within a detailed breakdown of where things stand with Butler, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports cites league sources who believe there’s a real chance the 35-year-old could remain in Miami all season and not be traded until the summer, at which time it would be easier for the Heat to construct a deal that works for both them and their trade partner(s).
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald takes a closer look at what the Heat’s options in the 2025 offseason would be if they were to sign-and-trade Butler or allow him to walk as a free agent.
Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel checks in on the latest developments related to the Butler drama, including Heat president Pat Riley talking to Dan Le Batard about critics who say he’s “washed” and Butler seemingly taking a passive-aggressive jab at Riley and the Heat in a social media video.
In his most recent mailbag (subscription required), Winderman considers whether it’s fair to the rest of the players on the roster for the Heat to put them in the middle of more drama by bringing Butler back at the end of his suspension instead of taking the best offer on the table at that point.
A recent feature from Ben Golliver of The Washington Post includes some exclusive quotes from Butler. Those quotes are about a month old, predating the developments of the past few weeks, but one comment from Butler perhaps provides some insight into why he was upset that the Heat were unwilling to offer him a maximum-salary contract extension over the summer. “I still think I’m in my prime if I’m being brutally honest,” Butler told Golliver.

Injury Notes: Vanderbilt, Warriors, Agbaji, Richardson

January 10th, 2025 at 3:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt hasn’t played an NBA game in more than 11 months, with his last appearance coming in Boston on February 1, 2024. However, he continues to inch closer to making his season debut, having been assigned to the South Bay Lakers for a practice this morning and subsequently being recalled to practice with the NBA club (Twitter links via Dave McMenamin of ESPN).

Vanderbilt, who made just 29 appearances in 2023/24 due to a heel injury, underwent surgeries on both of his feet during the offseason, then experienced a setback (fluid build-up in his left knee) in early December. He’s expected to suit up at some point in January, though he’ll be on a minutes restriction when he’s available.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

The Warriors will be shorthanded again on Friday at Indiana. Stephen Curry (knee management) and Draymond Green (back) have both been ruled out for the second end of a back-to-back, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Andrew Wiggins (personal reasons), Jonathan Kuminga (ankle sprain), Brandin Podziemski (right abdominal) and Gary Payton II (left calf strain) will also be sidelined. On a brighter note, fourth-year wing Moses Moody is probable Friday after missing Thursday’s game due to patellar tendinopathy in his left knee, per the league’s official injury report. Center Trayce Jackson-Davis is questionable due to a left eye contusion.
Raptors wing Ochai Agbaji missed his first game of the season on Thursday in Cleveland due to a left hip pointer. He’s also doubtful to suit up for Saturday’s matchup in Detroit, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). A former lottery pick, Agbaji will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.
Heat guard/forward Josh Richardson was technically active for Thursday’s win in Utah, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), though the impending free agent didn’t receive any playing time. Richardson has been plagued by a heel injury for much of the 2024/25 season, only making eight appearances to this point and last playing on November 18.

Heat Rumors: Butler, Suns, Suspension, 2026, Love

January 9th, 2025 at 4:38pm CST by Rory Maher

Star forward Jimmy Butler has tried to apply pressure on the Heat to trade him sooner rather than later, but team sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic that Miami won’t be rushed into making a deal it doesn’t like.

According to Amick, Heat officials told players after Butler received a seven-game suspension that the “most likely next step” would be Butler rejoining the team after its lengthy road trip. The Heat viewed Butler’s behavior as “increasingly problematic,” hence the suspension, and wanted to give the two sides a break and deal with it when the club returns home next week.

Butler’s tactics have somewhat overshadowed how impactful he can be when he’s fully engaged on the court, Amick writes, and may have given potential suitors pause. While things can change quickly in the NBA, Butler’s situation may not be resolved until closer to the deadline — assuming he’s traded at all.

A “best-case scenario” for the Heat would be a team becoming desperate to turn its season around and rethinking its stance on Butler, with Amick pointing to the Warriors as one example. Miami won handily at Golden State on Tuesday sans Butler.

As Amick details, it’s clear to people around the league that Butler’s preferred landing spot is Phoenix, and the Suns have reportedly been the most aggressive team in pursuit of the 35-year-old. But Bradley Beal‘s maximum-salary contract and no-trade clause continue to hold up a possible deal.

Here are a few more rumors and notes from Miami:

The Heat continue to actively discuss Butler trades, but they haven’t received any enticing offers yet, and unless that changes in the next week, the plan is for Butler to rejoin the team for next Friday’s contest vs. Denver, league sources tell Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Butler continues to work out with team staffers in Miami.
In an interview with Dan Le Batard that was filmed weeks ago, prior to all of the Butler drama, Heat president Pat Riley said that while his approach differs from modern players, he still respects them (Twitter video link). However, he drew a distinction when it comes to honoring a contract and being a detriment to a team. “So as players, they have to render unto the Heat really what is theirs too,” Riley said as part of a larger quote (hat tip to Jackson and Chiang). “And while they go out there and they do these other things, you can’t shortcut it with us. So, I’ve actually explained this to players is that while you’re under contract to us, you do owe us something. Your Collective Bargaining Agreement contract says that, so don’t ever take that lightly. We have a very cooperative group of people. But yes, I feel like I owe and I have to render unto Micky [Arison] as my boss. I don’t do it in any other way other than with respect and I feel the same way about the players.”
The Heat could position themselves to have maximum-salary cap room in the 2026 offseason, depending on what happens with Butler. While maximizing cap flexibility is a priority, the team is also open to adding a player on a multiyear contract in a Butler deal as long as that player is a “genuine difference-maker,” a source tells Jackson.
Veteran forward/center Kevin Love will miss Thursday’s game in Utah due to personal reasons, the Heat announced. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out.

Fischer’s Latest: Butler, Grizzlies, Bucks, Suns, Beal, More

January 8th, 2025 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Exploring the Jimmy Butler situation in his latest Substack article for The Stein Line, Jake Fischer confirms that the Grizzlies and Bucks are among the teams that Butler’s camp has discouraged from trading for the Heat forward. Chris Haynes first reported that Memphis had been advised not to pursue Butler, while Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports later added that Milwaukee had received a similar message.

Fischer also confirms that the Suns clearly appear to be Butler’s preferred landing spot, not only because he wants to team up with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker but because team owner Mat Ishbia has established himself as a free spender who would presumably give Butler the sort of contract extension he’s seeking.

If Phoenix makes a move for Butler, it would have to include Bradley Beal, but the Suns have no desire to broach the subject with Beal – who has a no-trade clause – unless they’re able to figure out a multi-team scenario that could work. Miami reportedly has no interest in taking on the well-paid veteran guard and his no-trade clause.

“You can’t bring anything to Brad unless there’s a deal on the table,” a veteran Eastern Conference executive told Fischer. “You can’t lose him until you know you’re going to move him.”

While they would like to land Butler, the Suns are also actively exploring other options on the trade market, gauging what sort of return they could acquire if they were to give up their 2031 first-round pick, which is their only tradable first-rounder, Fischer writes.

Here’s more from Fischer:

Although the Suns‘ decision to remove Beal from their starting lineup has been widely viewed as an attempt to encourage him to waive his no-trade clause, sources tell Fischer the team is hoping the move to the second unit will “spark more of an aggressive output” from the guard as a “microwave scorer.” Of course, there’s no reason that both explanations can’t be true.
The Grizzlies have made Luke Kennard, John Konchar, and draft capital available as they seek an upgrade on the trade market. But even if Butler were open to moving to Memphis, it’s unclear if the team would have an appetite for a bigger deal that would involve Marcus Smart and Brandon Clarke, according to Fischer, who hears from sources that the Grizzlies highly value both of those players.
The Thunder and Kings opened up roster spots on Tuesday by waiving Branden Carlson and Orlando Robinson, respectively. Those roster spots may come in handy on the trade market, but if they’re still open after the deadline, Ajay Mitchell and Isaac Jones are worth monitoring as candidates to be promoted from two-way contracts, says Fischer.

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