Heat Rumors

Southeast Notes: Wizards, Rookies, Howard, Jovic, Stevens

December 14th, 2024 at 8:17am CST by Tristan Tucker

Just one year after experiencing the worst season in franchise history (15-67), the Wizards are on pace for just 11 wins this year. At 3-20, they rank 30th in offensive rating and 29th in defensive rating, while their average point differential (-15.9) would be the worst in league history. While the Wizards were expected to lose more than they won this year as they continue to develop their core, it wasn’t supposed to look like this, David Aldridge and Josh Robbins of The Athletic write.

A little more than a year into their multi-stage rebuild, some Wizards officials believe their future franchise cornerstones are still playing in college or high school, according to Aldridge and Robbins. Officials didn’t think the team would start off worse than last season after adding veteran talent like Jonas Valanciunas, Malcolm Brogdon and Saddiq Bey over the summer, but both Brogdon and Kyle Kuzma have missed extensive time due to injuries, while Bey is expected to miss most or all of the season while he recovers from a torn ACL.

“I try to come into seasons with not too much of an expectation, because you just never know how things can go,” Kuzma said. “I probably thought we could struggle, but never to the extent that we are in the present.”

The injuries – along with the departures of some of last season’s rotation fixtures – thrust rookies Alex Sarr, Carlton Carrington and Kyshawn George into the spotlight early and often. While those three have been bright spots, Aldridge and Robbins note that they’ve each still struggled at times.

“We are immersed in a very difficult stretch right now,” general manager Will Dawkins said. “But we remain committed to the long-term sustainability of the organization. Our staff and players have continued to work, and are growing. We will continue to stack the positive developmental gains and, at the end of the season, put proper perspective on the totality of the year. Don’t worry about the whole thing right now; at the end of the year, let’s look up and see what we accomplished. They’re getting better, and they’re still working, and that’s the main thing. What we signed up for is hard, and we know it.”

Head coach Brian Keefe endured a similar situation with the Thunder in 2008/09 as a player development coach. That team opened the season 3-29 before winning 20 of its final 50 games. According to Aldridge and Robbins, Keefe has done a good job teaching the young talent, but the club has to do more to not surrender big runs in games.

“It’s being addressed, I can tell you that,” a team source said. “It’ll look different.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Getting used to the NBA’s grueling schedule is the biggest adjustment Sarr has had to make in the first part of his young career, Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network writes in a piece reflecting on the progress the Wizards‘ rookies have made so far. Sarr, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, is averaging 10.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in his age-19 season.
Last year’s No. 11 overall pick Jett Howard is continuing to earn more minutes for the Magic while holding his own on the defensive end, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Howard is averaging 4.2 points per game in 25 contests this season after making just 18 appearances last year.
After falling out of the rotation in November, the Heat‘s Nikola Jovic worked behind the scenes to regain the trust of the coaching staff, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. He had an impressive night on Thursday, contributing 14 points and four rebounds to help Miami beat Toronto. “If you’re not playing, how do you win the day? At least you have a staff that’s looking and valuing pre-practice, film sessions, practice, shootarounds, walkthroughs and that’s how you can earn trust,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But then you also stay ready, so that when you get your opportunity that you can make the most of it and then you can impact winning.“
After trading Thomas Bryant to the Pacers, the Heat will have two open standard roster spots. They’ll have two weeks after that trade is officially finalized to fill at least one of those openings, and as we outlined on Friday, Dru Smith being converted to a standard deal is one avenue the team may explore. If that occurs, Isaiah Stevens could be a natural replacement for Smith’s two-way spot, suggests Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Stevens impressed in summer league and the preseason and is averaging 13.8 PPG and a G League-leading 10.8 APG for the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

And-Ones: Top Front Offices, Daniels, NBA Cup, Rookies

December 13th, 2024 at 9:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Sam Presti and the Thunder were voted as the NBA’s best front office by a panel of 40 executives (team presidents, general managers, VPs, and assistant GMs) across the league who were polled by Sam Amick, John Hollinger, and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

As The Athletic’s trio explains, each respondent picked their top five NBA front offices and points were awarded in the same way they are in the MVP vote – 10 points for first place, seven points for second, five points for third, three points for fourth, and one point for fifth – in order to determine the rankings. The only rule was that execs couldn’t vote for their own team.

The Thunder were a runaway winner with 354 points, showing up on 39 of 40 total ballots and earning 29 first-place votes. The Celtics (250 points; nine first-place votes), Heat (114 points), Grizzlies (64 points; one first-place vote), and Timberwolves (54 points; one first-place vote) rounded out the top five.

A total of 21 front offices received at least one vote. The nine who didn’t were the Lakers, Suns, Kings, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Bulls, Pistons, Hornets, and Hawks.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Dash Daniels, the younger brother of Dyson Daniels, has committed to joining the Melbourne United as part of the Australian National Basketball League’s Next Stars program, report Shams Charania and Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The younger Daniels, who is considered one of the top international prospects of the 2026 draft class, is considered a standout defender like his brother, having averaged a tournament-high 3.6 steals per game at this year’s FIBA U17 World Cup.
NBA executive VP of basketball strategy Evan Wasch referred to Las Vegas as a “fantastic home” for the NBA Cup semifinals and final, but indicated this week in a Zoom call that the league isn’t necessarily committed to Vegas as the in-season tournament’s long-term host. “We’re very open to all sorts of different formats for the future,” Wasch said, per Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. “That could mean taking the tournament on the road. It could mean taking it to different markets in the U.S. It could mean exploring international markets. It could mean, for example, having the semifinals in home markets like we have for the quarterfinals to build into the local fandom and exciting arena atmospheres. I would say everything is on the table for the future.”
While most of the top picks in the 2024 draft haven’t come flying out of the gate this fall, there are plenty of second-rounders and undrafted free agents from the ’24 class who are making positive early impressions. John Hollinger of The Athletic highlights several of them, including Jazz forward/center Kyle Filipowski, Suns big man Oso Ighodaro, and Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells.
The Athletic’s NBA writers identified the biggest need for all 30 teams, with good health coming up for a handful of clubs, including the Sixers, Bucks, and Magic.

Jimmy Butler Notes: Nuggets, Finances, Rockets, Lee

December 13th, 2024 at 7:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets should be “burning up the phone lines” to acquire star forward Jimmy Butler from the Heat, argues Chris Mannix of SI.com.

Denver isn’t one of the four teams that was identified this week as a preferred landing spot for Butler in the event of a trade, but there would be nothing stopping the Heat from sending him there if the Nuggets make an offer they like. And Mannix suggests it’d be a worthwhile gamble for Denver, writing that Butler could help pull the team “out of the mud.”

“He’d probably fit pretty well because he can cut without the basketball and he’s a great passer,” a rival assistant coach told Mannix. “And then defensively when he wants to, he can be a big-time defender. The shooting, obviously, he doesn’t shoot the ball well, so that would be a little bit problematic at times, but I think could probably be a net positive in the short term.”

Mannix doesn’t specify what he thinks a Nuggets package for Butler might look like, but assuming Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon are off the table, it would have to include Michael Porter Jr. and at least two other players. A third team would likely have to be incentivized to take on one of those contracts (possibly Zeke Nnaji or Dario Saric) and the Nuggets would need to sweeten the deal for the Heat by adding young talent, draft assets, or some combination of the two.

Here’s more on Butler:

Any trade the Heat make this season, whether or not it involves Butler, will have “one eye on the present and the other on the future,” especially when it comes to the team’s finances, sources tell Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Insider link). As Bontemps writes, the Heat project to be a taxpayer for the second straight season in 2024/25, meaning they’ll have to duck out of tax territory in at least one of the next two seasons in order to avoid facing repeater penalties, which are even more punitive under the new CBA.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst also weighs in on Butler’s situation in the same article, pointing out that the forward’s $52MM+ player option for 2025/26 gives him some leverage as the Heat weigh possible trade opportunities — while he plans to decline it to become a free agent, Butler doesn’t have to finalize that decision until June 29.
It’s “highly unlikely” the Rockets will pursue Butler, team sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic, who notes that Butler’s age (35) is an “undeniable factor in the calculus.” Houston isn’t looking to add a star player who is in his mid-to-late 30s, which is one important reason why the club didn’t pursue James Harden in free agency in 2023, Amick adds.
In a YouTube video, Bobby Marks of ESPN breaks down the Butler situation and confirms that his colleague Shams Charania’s report about Dallas, Houston, Golden State, and Phoenix being viewed as favorable destinations by Butler was accurate, despite agent Bernie Lee‘s claims to the contrary. “What Shams put out there…that was 100% accurate,” Marks said. “From all the people I’ve talked to and all the people he’s talked to, 100% accurate. So I have no idea why Bernie Lee would go on a rampage that night, but it is what it is.”
Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required) takes a look at the “unique” relationship between Butler and Lee, who has made a habit of publicly advocating for his clients – especially on social media – rather than simply operating behind the scenes like many agents.
Ahead of the Heat’s victory over Toronto on Thursday – Miami’s fourth consecutive win – head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters that he’s unfazed by the trade rumors surrounding his star player. “This is this profession,” Spoelstra said (Twitter link via Winderman). “You can’t get sick at sea over some narratives that are going out there. That’s going to happen in every organization at some point during a season.”

Five Players On Two-Way Deals Who Could Be Promoted

December 13th, 2024 at 10:52am CST by Rory Maher

As Luke Adams explains in our glossary entry, the two-way contract was introduced in the NBA’s 2017 collective bargaining agreement, with additional changes ratified in the 2023 CBA. Players who signed two-way deals before the season began will earn $578,577 in 2024/25, half of the rookie minimum.

There are certain stipulations for players on two-way contracts. They are not eligible for the postseason, and if a team has a full 15-man standard roster, they can only be active for up to 50 games. In cases where a team has fewer than 15 players on standard contracts, two-way players are even more restricted in how many games they’re permitted to be active.

Three players on two-way contracts have already been converted to standard deals in ’24/25 — Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jay Huff each received four-year deals from the Grizzlies, who used part of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to complete the transactions. The Knicks also promoted rookie big man Ariel Hukporti a two-year standard contract using the minimum-salary exception.

Here are five more players on two-way deals who are candidates to be promoted to standard contracts.

Ajay Mitchell, G, Thunder

Mitchell is arguably the strongest candidate to be converted to a standard deal. There’s also a straightforward pathway for Oklahoma City to complete the transaction — the team would only need to waive rookie big man Branden Carlson, who is on a non-guaranteed standard contract.

A 6’5″ guard from Belgium, Mitchell was the No. 38 overall pick of June’s draft after starring in college at UC Santa Barbara. Not only has the 22-year-old been active for every game thus far for the Thunder, who lead the Western Conference with a 19-5 record, he has also appeared in all 24 contests as a rotation regular, averaging 5.6 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.7 APG and 0.9 SPG, with a shooting line of .478/.418/.800 in 16.0 MPG.

Brandon Boston, G/F, Pelicans

The No. 51 overall pick of the 2021 draft, Boston spent his first three seasons on a standard deal with the Clippers, who let him walk in free agency over the offseason. He wound up signing an Exhibit 10 deal with San Antonio for training camp, was released before the season started, and was claimed off waivers by New Orleans and converted to a two-way deal.

It turned out to be a shrewd decision, as the 23-year-old has played a significant role for the injury-ravaged Pelicans, averaging 12.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.3 APG and 1.5 SPG in 23 games, including 10 starts (27.5 MPG). While Boston hasn’t been the most efficient scorer — his shooting slash line is .436/.323/.851, with a 53.8% true shooting percentage — he’s one of the few (active) players on the roster who can create offense for himself and others.

New Orleans only has 14 players on standard contracts right now and has shown a reluctance to carry a 15th man due to luxury tax concerns, so the Pelicans are unlikely to consider a promotion for Boston until he has reached his game limit or the team has ducked below the tax line with a trade.

Jamison Battle, F, Raptors

An undrafted rookie out of Ohio State, Battle has been active for 25 of Toronto’s 26 games, averaging 5.8 PPG and 2.0 RPG while shooting 44.0% from long distance in 24 appearances (13.6 MPG).

Although there’s a pathway to convert the 24-year-old sharpshooter, it would require the Raptors to cut a veteran — perhaps big man Bruno Fernando, who is on a non-guaranteed contract. There’s no rush for Toronto to make a decision on Fernando until the Jan. 7 deadline though, so if Battle does get promoted, I’d expect it to occur later in the season.

Dru Smith, G, Heat

At first glance, Smith doesn’t seem like the most obvious candidate to have his two-way contract converted. The 26-year-old missed most of last season with a torn ACL, and has only appeared in 10 games thus far in ’24/25.

However, he has played a major role off the bench lately. As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes, Smith logged a career-high 34 minutes in Thursday’s victory over Toronto, including the entire fourth quarter for the third straight game, earning praise from team captain Bam Adebayo.

“He’s just making the right plays every time down the court,” Adebayo said of Smith’s impact.

The tricky part about converting Smith is the Heat have a high payroll, which is why they’re only carrying 14 players on standard contracts. They’ll likely wait until after the trade deadline so that they don’t surpass the second tax apron and limit their trade options, but if Smith keeps playing like he has been lately, it seems like a matter of when, not if, he gets promoted.

[UPDATE: The Heat’s impending trade of Thomas Bryant could open the door for Smith to be promoted sooner rather than later.

Jordan Miller, F, Clippers

Second-year forward Miller rounds out our five-player list. In 14 appearances in ’24/25, the 2023 second-round pick has averaged 7.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 1.3 APG in 16.3 MPG, with a shooting line of .467/.304/.773. Those numbers might not jump off the page, but Miller is a solid, versatile defender who can drive, draw fouls, and create for himself and others.

With Derrick Jones (hamstring strain) out for at least a couple weeks and Kawhi Leonard (knee) still ramping up to make his season debut, Miller has a major opportunity to make himself an indispensable part of head coach Tyronn Lue‘s rotation.

In order for Miller to be promoted, the Clips would need to either waive someone from their standard 15-man roster or make a trade. P.J. Tucker is the team’s most obvious candidate to be traded or released.

Some other two-way players to keep an eye on:

Isaac Jones, F/C, Kings
Jared Butler, G, Wizards
Jamal Cain, F, Pelicans
Trey Jemison, C, Pelicans
Quenton Jackson, G, Pacers
Enrique Freeman, F/C, Pacers

Gambo: Heat’s Butler “Absolutely Interested” In Suns

December 12th, 2024 at 10:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Confirming a report from Shams Charania of ESPN, plugged-in local reporter John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 says Heat star Jimmy Butler is indeed open to joining the Suns. In fact, Gambadoro took it a step further.

“I always take a little bit of time, make sure I get stories correct,” Gambadoro said on the Burns & Gambo show Thursday (story via Kevin Zimmerman of ArizonaSports.com). “Jimmy Butler is absolutely interested in coming to the Phoenix Suns.

“I would go as far as to say that I believe this will be his number one choice, is to play for the Phoenix Suns.”

However, as multiple outlets have pointed out, a direct deal between Miami and Phoenix seems extremely unlikely. According to Gambadoro (Twitter link), the rough framework of a trade would involve Bradley Beal and draft compensation. That would require Beal to waive his full no-trade clause, which is far from certain, and even if he does, his contract — he’s owed about $161MM through 2026/27 — would be “unappealing” to the Heat, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Gambadoro hears the Suns would prefer to keep their lone tradable first-round pick (2031) out of any potential talks for Butler. Even if that were included, it’s difficult to envision any scenario in which Miami would be interested in that offer.

The Suns also aren’t actively pursuing Butler — according to Gambadoro, they plan to evaluate their roster over the next 10-to-15 games to see where they stand. If Phoenix performs well over that stretch, a run at Butler is even less likely.

As expected, Suns star Kevin Durant (left ankle sprain) is probable to return to action on Friday vs. Utah following a three-game absence, tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. Jusuf Nurkic is not listed on the injury report, which mean’s he’s expected to play after missing the past five games.

Gambadoro reports (Twitter links) that the the only way a deal might come together is if Butler tries to force his way to Phoenix, but there have been no signs that he plans to do so. There’s also no indication Miami would entertain the idea of trading him to the Suns over other offers, which would presumably be more appealing. That’s assuming the Heat even decide to trade him at all — they’ve won four straight.

Ever the troll, Butler put bright orange highlights in his braids ahead of Thursday’s victory over Toronto. Unsurprisingly, he said there was no particular reason for that decision, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald tweets.

Butler did say he enjoyed his agent Bernie Lee going after Charania for what Lee claimed was “made-up bulls–t.” Charania stood by his reporting.

“I love it. I am all for the back and forth,” Butler said, per Chiang (Twitter link). “I mean, before he’s my agent, I guess we’re like brothers now, we do everything together. But I feel for him and at least somebody is sticking up for me.”

Latest On Jimmy Butler

December 12th, 2024 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

After being called out by agent Bernie Lee, who accused him of publishing “made-up bulls–t” about his client Jimmy Butler, Shams Charania responded to Lee and doubled down on his reporting during a Thursday appearance on ESPN’s First Take (YouTube link).

“I one thousand percent stand by my reporting,” Charania said. “It’s fully vetted, and as a professional, that’s what I do. That’s what I get paid to do, that’s what I’m going to do: report truthfully and accurately. That’s what this is, period.”

Charania reported on Tuesday that Lee had made it clear in league circles that Butler would be open to destinations like the Rockets, Mavericks, and Warriors if the Heat decided to trade him. On Wednesday, Charania added the Suns to that list.

Reports from other outlets have since indicated that Dallas and Phoenix are extremely unlikely landing spots for Butler for cap/CBA and personnel reasons, and the Rockets have repeatedly expressed that they don’t intend to make an in-season trade that breaks up their current core. But Charania reiterated during his ESPN appearance on Thursday morning that those are the teams Butler’s camp has circled as favorable ones in the event of a deal.

“I one thousand percent stand by it,” Charania said. “It is one thousand percent facts.”

Charania stressed on Thursday that Butler hasn’t requested a trade, so while the Heat are open to listening to offers, that doesn’t necessarily mean the 35-year-old forward will be on the move during the season. In fact, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during that same First Take segment that he thinks Butler would rather stay in Miami than be traded to any of those clubs mentioned by Charania.

“From what I understand, I think Jimmy Butler’s preference would be to sign an extension in Miami,” Windhorst said. “He had hoped to do that actually last summer, but (Heat president) Pat Riley came out at the end of last season and said that’s not what the Heat were doing, and they still haven’t made any progress on that. I think that’s what he would like to do. I think he would like to stay there.

“But as you talk to people around the league… most executives think if there’s any (big-name) player that could possibly get moved it would be Jimmy Butler,” Windhorst continued. “Because trade season opens basically on Sunday, I think that’s why you’re seeing interest pick up. The teams are going to start talking to each other and the players who want to get into comfortable situations with their contracts are going to start trying to leverage their position. So this is just the beginning of what I think will be a lot of what you hear about Jimmy Butler in the coming days and weeks.”

Here are a few more Butler-related items:

Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports breaks down the likelihood of a Butler trade to one of the four teams reported by Charania, concluding that the Warriors make the most sense of the possible trade partners in that group. However, O’Connor notes that the Heat could easily hang onto Butler through the trade deadline or expand their scope to other would-be suitors. Of all the hypothetical landing spots O’Connor explores, he views the Nuggets as the most logical fit, though there has been no indication Denver is interested.
Keith Smith of Spotrac explores possible Butler trade scenarios from a salary cap and CBA perspective, explaining why it would be difficult – but not impossible – for the Heat to make a deal with most teams.
In case you missed it, we wrote earlier today about the possibility of mutual interest between Butler and the Nets. However, Brooklyn figures to only be a potential suitor in free agency next summer, not on the trade market during the season.

Nets Notes: Butler, Schröder, Potential Trades, K. Johnson

December 12th, 2024 at 9:09am CST by Luke Adams

Jimmy Butler has shown interest in joining the Nets in the past and would still be interested in potentially ending up in Brooklyn, a source tells Brian Lewis of The New York Post. However, the Nets aren’t considered a potential trade suitor for the Heat star and would only make sense as a landing spot in free agency.

That outcome isn’t out of the question. The Nets project to have more cap room than any other NBA team in 2025, and multiple reports have indicated that Butler’s plan is to turn down his $52MM+ player option for 2025/26 in order to become a free agent after the current season.

Still, Lewis cautions that any Nets interest would have to be “at the right price and on the right terms” — at age 35, Butler can’t realistically expect a long-term, maximum-salary contract as a free agent in 2025, but it remains to be seen how eager he’ll be to take a pay cut and/or a short-term contract. He may prefer one to the other.

With no contending teams projected to have maximum-salary cap space next summer, it’s possible Butler would use the retooling Nets as leverage in order to extract the best possible deal from the Heat or whichever team he’s playing for at the end of this season. But it’s worth noting that Brooklyn has been more competitive than expected so far this season and doesn’t necessarily want to spend several years in the lottery while rebuilding.

“Their reset will be around signing a max free agent and draft picks,” one league source told Lewis. “They for sure won’t tank multiple years. It’s going to be a one-year reset.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

While it’s generally difficult for NBA teams to net a first-round pick in exchange for a role player who has an expiring contract, that’s expected to be the Nets’ asking price on veteran point guard Dennis Schröder, Lewis reports in another story for The New York Post. Marc Stein reported something similar on Tuesday. The 31-year-old, who will earn about $13MM this season before reaching unrestricted free agency in 2025, is averaging career highs in several statistical categories, including assists per game (6.5) and three-point percentage (38.5%).
The Nets may benefit from selling off their productive veteran players sooner rather than later in order to ensure they land a high lottery pick in the 2025 draft, but that doesn’t mean they’ll simply accept the best offer available for players like Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith. Brooklyn will be seeking real value for its top trade chips, according to Lewis. “They’re not giving anyone away,” one source told The New York Post.
After averaging 12.6 minutes per game in his first 15 outings, Nets guard Keon Johnson has logged 26.3 MPG in seven games (three starts) since Cam Thomas went down with a hamstring injury. As Lewis writes for The Post, Johnson recognizes his playing time could fall off again once Brooklyn’s leading scorer returns. “Nothing is guaranteed, and it’s not guaranteed for him or anybody else,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “So the group’s been doing great. There’s going to be guys at times going in and out of the rotation. I hope if you’re out of the rotation, you work really hard to get back in. If you’re in the second group, you work hard to be in the first group. That’s important because that just helps the entire group to be better.”

Jimmy Butler’s Agent Denies Report About Interest In Suns

December 11th, 2024 at 7:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Phoenix is a potential destination that interests Jimmy Butler as trade rumors continue to swirl around the Heat star, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). However, while Charania’s report suggests that Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has “indicated in league circles” that Phoenix would be a favorable landing spot, Lee immediately and vehemently denied any involvement.

“Alright listen. I gave you a pass yesterday because I was busy, but if you don’t stop putting my name on your complete and utter made up bulls–t because you know you normally aren’t worth my time to acknowledge,” Lee responded (via Twitter). “I don’t know what I’m going to do because I’m a middle aged dad but just know it would indicate severe dislike.

“World… all this is fabricated. I have never and honestly it wouldn’t help me or the position I represent to do anything that’s been reported by said ‘journalist.’ Shams, this is your opportunity to say, ‘My bad I let ChatGPT write my tweets and it went old school Peter Vescey..’ (Shams, Peter was a writer in the 90’s). Be a trend setter.. invent the new ‘I was hacked.’ Carry on all. Thank you.”

Charania reported on Tuesday that Lee had made it clear in league circles that Butler would be open to destinations like Houston, Dallas, and Golden State in the event of a trade.

It’s worth noting that Lee and Charania have clashed before, including in April when Charania reported that Butler was feared to have suffered an MCL and was expected to miss several weeks following a collision with Sixers wing Kelly Oubre in a play-in game.

Lee denied the report, as did the team’s beat writers, noting that Butler had yet to undergo an MRI. The Heat star ended up missing the first-round series against Boston with a sprained MCL.

Lee also lashed out following at Charania following his 2021 claim that there were “very, very testy moments behind the scenes” between Butler and the Heat coaching staff, referring to the reporter as an “ambulance chasing, dirt bag piece of s–t” in a tweet he later deleted.

If there’s substance behind Charania’s latest report, it’s significant because any team dealing for Butler would like some assurance that he’ll consider re-signing. He holds a $52.4MM player option for next season and has indicated that he plans to turn that down and test free agency.

Butler is making $48.8MM this season, so it would be difficult to get him to a team like Phoenix, which is operating under second apron restrictions and isn’t permitted to combine salaries in any trade. ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out (Twitter link) that Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal combine for 68% of the Suns’ salary, and Beal has a no-trade clause in his contract, but one of them (presumably Beal) would have to be sent out in any deal involving Butler.

A source tells Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link) that the Suns aren’t pursuing a trade for Butler, regardless of any interest he might have. Bourguet’s source states that management has faith in its current roster, pointing out that the team is 11-2 when Durant, Booker and Beal are all healthy.

Bourguet also notes that because Miami and Phoenix are both apron teams, neither can take back more salary than it sends out. The only loophole would be for Miami to attach a veteran’s minimum deal along with Butler’s contract because Phoenix could take on that contract using the minimum salary exception (Twitter link). Involving a third team to take on salary would also work.

Stein’s Latest: Butler, Wizards, Jazz, Nets, H. Jones, Sixers, Cavaliers

December 11th, 2024 at 6:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets, Mavericks and Warriors are the teams most often linked to a potential Jimmy Butler trade, but none of them are considered certain to make a strong bid to acquire the Heat star, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required).

Stein views Golden State as the most serious contender among the group, with sources telling him that the Warriors have expressed some interest in Butler and one informant saying the team wants to “take a swing” on a significant move by the trade deadline. Stein notes that Golden State attempted to land Paul George and Lauri Markkanen during the offseason, even though those efforts were unsuccessful. He adds that Draymond Green has experience playing alongside Butler on the U.S. Olympic team in 2016.

Houston has plenty of assets to offer in exchange for Butler, but Stein points to general manager Rafael Stone‘s stance that he doesn’t plan to pursue a major in-season trade. The Rockets have also let it be known that age considerations will be important if they do go after a star, making sure that player is on a similar timeline as the rest of their young core. That would seem to exclude any interest in the 35-year-old Butler.

Financial restraints will likely prevent the Mavericks from getting involved, Stein adds. They already have Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on max contracts, and both players will become eligible for new deals in July. Stein doesn’t believe Dallas is looking for another player like Butler, who is used to having the ball in his hands.

Butler, who has a $52.4MM player option for next season, has been open about his intention to pursue free agency. Meeting with reporters after Wednesday’s practice, he refused to commit when asked if he wants to finish his career in Miami.

“I don’t know,” he responded. “I’m pretty sure y’all are going to get a report that’s going to say otherwise anyways. So there’s no sense in me answering that question.”

Stein offers more inside information from around the NBA:

The Wizards, Jazz and Nets are the primary sellers as the league’s unofficial trade season gets set to open Sunday, with a rival executive telling Stein, “When you call them, they’re willing to make a deal right now.” Stein hears that the Raptors, Trail Blazers and Bulls are also being monitored to see if they’re interested in parting with certain players. Sources tell Stein that Brooklyn is asking for at least one first-round pick in exchange for swingman Dorian Finney-Smith or point guard Dennis Schröder. Washington is “increasingly regarded as likely” to pursue trades involving Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon while listening to offers for Kyle Kuzma, who is in the second season of a four-year, $90MM contract.
Sources tell Stein that the Pelicans have no interest in fielding offers for Herbert Jones despite the team’s disastrous 5-20 start. Jones is the team’s best perimeter defender and is under contract through the 2026/27 season.
The Sixers aren’t expected to be active in December, according to Stein, because their most logical trade chip — KJ Martin — doesn’t become trade eligible until January 15.
Scouts believe the Cavaliers will try to acquire at least one more wing before the deadline, Stein adds. Even though Cleveland is at the top of the East, there’s a belief that the team will need to upgrade its perimeter defense for the playoffs.

Heat Notes: Butler, Trade Rumors, Herro, Richardson

December 11th, 2024 at 12:50pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN’s Tuesday report stating that the Heat are open to offers on Jimmy Butler and might make a deal if the price is right has resulted in plenty of chatter among NBA fans and observers, but head coach Erik Spoelstra and Butler have since downplayed the report in comments to the media.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel relays, Spoelstra told reporters on Tuesday that he “didn’t mention anything” about ESPN’s story to his team. The Heat coach also pointed out that trade rumors surrounding another Heat player – Tyler Herro – in recent years haven’t amounted to anything and added that the team has been playing some of its best basketball as of late.

“I think the biggest message is that fact that we’re 3-0 right now, this past week, and the player that was rumored in so many trades and speculations the last three years — it seemed like every week — that player is still here and is Player of the Week,” Spoelstra said. “So that’s really the only thing I’m thinking about. … Anything else, any other narrative, I don’t care. Nobody should, because most of this stuff has just been all like a bunch of gibberish.”

Butler wasn’t available to reporters on Tuesday, but addressed the rumors on Wednesday following the Heat’s practice at Kaseya Center, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Butler said the trade speculation “doesn’t bother me one bit” — in fact, he appreciates it.

“I actually like it,” Butler said. “It’s good to be talked about. I don’t think there’s such a thing as bad publicity to a point. But if somebody is talking about me getting traded, that’s a lot.”

Here’s more on Butler and the Heat:

Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald provide some additional context on the report about Butler’s availability, writing that the star forward hasn’t asked for a trade and the Heat aren’t shopping him — they’re just willing to listen. According to Chiang and Jackson, due to the lack of contenders with projected 2025 cap room, the Heat aren’t all that concerned about the possibility of losing Butler in free agency next summer if he remains in Miami for the rest of the season.
While there have been reports in recent months indicating that Butler has stayed committed to the Heat, he didn’t offer a concrete answer on Wednesday when asked if he still hopes to stick with the club for the rest of this career, Chiang notes. “I don’t know,” Butler said. “I’m pretty sure y’all are going to get a report that’s going to say otherwise anyways. So there’s no sense in me answering that question.”
Columnist Greg Cote of The Miami Herald lays out the case for why the Heat should move on from Butler this season if they get a solid offer for him.
It has been Herro, not Butler, who has been the Heat’s leading scorer so far this season, putting up a career-high 24.2 points per game with an impressive .477/.422/.872 shooting line. As Chiang writes in another story for The Miami Herald, Herro is starting to generate some All-Star buzz and said he’d “love” to be selected for the game. “That’s been my goal since I came into the league,” Herro said. “We’ll see. I got to get votes. I’m definitely worthy though.”
Heat guard Josh Richardson received an injection in his heel and will be sidelined for the next week, tweets Winderman. Richardson hasn’t seen any action since November 18 — he has been listed as available for the majority of Miami’s past nine games, but has continually showed up on the injury report due to right heel soreness and irritation.

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