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Warriors Rumors: Trade Deadline, Green, Butler, Durant

February 4th, 2025 at 9:12am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors forward Draymond Green spoke out last month against the idea of “mortgaging off the future” of the team in order to try to win now, telling reporters that’s the sort of thing that “bad organizations” do. However, on Monday, with the February 6 trade deadline just days away, Green said in a post-game media session that he knows team owner Joe Lacob will be eager to try to upgrade a team with an uninspiring 25-24 record.

“We all know he’s pissed sitting at .500,” Green said (Twitter video link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic). “You’d be a fool to sit back and think everything (is OK). Not with that guy. That guy’s always trying to win. He’s always pushing the envelope as much as he can.

“… Sitting at .500, you’ve got to expect that (the front office) is going to look to be aggressive. It’s not an organization that’s going to do anything dumb, but they’re going to look to be aggressive.”

Reporting on Monday linked the Warriors to starry targets like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, with Shams Charania stating during an ESPN appearance that Golden State is “legitimately calling about every All-Star player.” After seeing what went down in Dallas over the weekend, Green suggests it would be irresponsible not to make those calls.

“Luka Doncic just got traded, so everyone thinks everything is possible at this point,” Green said. “If you saw that and you didn’t call (on) every superstar, you’re crazy. That’s just the reality.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported on Sunday that Jimmy Butler trade talks between the Warriors and Heat had “ended for now” after the 35-year-old conveyed that he wasn’t interested in signing an extension with Golden State. However, it doesn’t appear that the idea of Butler landing in the Bay Area is dead. Anthony Slater of The Athletic says the Warriors “believe they are still firmly in the mix” for Butler, while Windhorst himself wrote today at ESPN.com that Golden State remains a possibility for the star forward if the Heat can’t figure out how to make a deal work with the Suns, Butler’s preferred destination.
If the Suns are unable to acquire Butler, it could impact the Warriors on two fronts. Not only would it make Golden State a more viable landing spot for Butler, but it could make Phoenix more inclined to consider the idea of moving Durant, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com, who says (via Twitter) that some rival executives believes that’s a real possibility.
According to Slater, it’s still unclear whether the Suns would really move Durant this week or if he would even welcome a reunion with the Warriors. However, Slater notes that Lacob and Durant’s longtime manager Rich Kleiman were seen chatting during Friday’s Suns/Warriors game and were spotted together at Chase Center’s Bridge Club at halftime and after the game.

Warriors Eye LeBron James, Kevin Durant In Hopes Of Major Deadline Deals

February 3rd, 2025 at 12:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:48 pm: Shams Charania of ESPN confirmed during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link) that the Warriors have inquired about James and Durant, noting that Golden State is casting a wide net in its search for another impact player.

“The Warriors are legitimately calling about every All-Star player,” Charania said. “Name the All-Star player, the Warriors have probably called about him. (Sixers forward) Paul George, they’ve probably called – they have called – about him.

“They’ve made calls on every star. And that, of course, includes players like LeBron, players like Kevin Durant, players like Jimmy Butler. They are making calls. They are dead set on trying to find another star player – a superstar player – with Stephen Curry.”

The Warriors are among several teams who have asked about Durant, per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), but Gambadoro says the Suns remain focused on either acquiring Butler from Miami or – if they can’t get Butler – making other smaller deals.

12:00 pm: The Warriors are “big-game hunting” ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline and have contemplated a strategy to reunite the core of the U.S. Olympic squad by teaming up LeBron James and Kevin Durant with Stephen Curry, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (subscription required).

That’s the most audacious of the plans being considered by Golden State’s front office, but there could be a path to making it happen. Sources tell Fischer that the Warriors are among the teams that have made inquiries about whether James could be convinced to waive his no-trade clause and part with the Lakers. Nothing has changed so far, but Golden State will presumably continue its pursuit through Thursday.

Fischer cites sources who say the Suns currently don’t plan to move Durant before the deadline, but they are listening to inquiries. Durant is aware of the situation, Fischer adds.

Any deal with Phoenix would involve “a very high asking price” involving players and draft picks, according to Fischer, who notes that the Suns have “a level of interest” in Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga.

Fischer points out that Phoenix’s grip on a postseason spot is less secure after the Spurs reached an agreement to acquire De’Aaron Fox from Sacramento. That trade should make San Antonio (21-25) more dangerous in the short term without the Kings (24-24), who are acquiring Zach LaVine as part of the three-team deal, taking a significant step backwards. Both teams are hot on the heels of the 25-23 Suns in the postseason race.

The Suns would like to complete a deal for Heat forward Jimmy Butler, but have found no takers for Bradley Beal and may not be able to make it happen without giving up Durant or Devin Booker.

Fischer also reports that the Warriors haven’t entirely abandoned the idea of trading for Butler, despite a report on Sunday that he wouldn’t sign an extension with them. According to Fischer, there are “reservations” in Golden State’s front office about how Butler’s personality would fit with the team considering his standoff in Miami and his history of messy breakups.

Fischer adds that the Mavericks aren’t trying to add either Butler or Durant, although they’re still searching for roster upgrades after swapping Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis.

The current speculation, according to Fischer, is that the Warriors or Bucks are just as likely to land Butler as the Suns are. However, he adds that Milwaukee has been quiet recently in the Butler pursuit and may be more focused on acquiring Kyle Kuzma from the Wizards.

Bradley Beal Reluctant To Change Teams Again

February 3rd, 2025 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

There have been reports that it would take a contending team in a warm-weather city for Bradley Beal to consider waiving his no-trade clause, but there’s another reason he prefers to remain in Phoenix, according to Fred Katz, Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

A source familiar with Beal’s thinking tells the authors that he doesn’t want to uproot his family again less than two years after being traded to the Suns. Since that deal was made, the family moved from Washington to Los Angeles before finding a home in Phoenix. Another trade would either mean moving again or playing out the rest of the season away from his wife and their two children.

The source informs Katz, Amick and Nehm that Beal would approve a trade to a handful of cities, but the list is short. His priority is being with a contender, and although he doesn’t like the cold, he’s willing to accept it to get to the right situation.

The authors cite a report from last week that Beal wouldn’t be willing to accept a trade to the Bulls, who offer both cold weather and a remote chance to reach the playoffs. As they point out, that’s the dilemma for the Suns, who are hoping to find a taker for Beal’s contract so they can complete a trade for Jimmy Butler. Any team willing to pay Beal more than $110MM over the next two seasons is likely to be in the midst of rebuilding.

Katz, Amick and Nehm add that Beal would be interested in going to Miami, but the Heat don’t want him because of his salary, the multiple years left on his deal, and his no-trade clause. Once Butler is gone, Miami will be focused on creating cap room for a stellar free agent class in 2026.

The Suns are still considered to be the most aggressive suitor for Butler, but Beal’s situation may be too difficult to solve by Thursday’s trade deadline.

Warriors Halt Jimmy Butler Trade Talks

February 2nd, 2025 at 9:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cross the Warriors off the list of potential Jimmy Butler suitors, at least for now.

Butler has communicated to the Warriors that he’s unwilling to sign an extension there, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Twitter link). In response, trade talks between the Heat and Warriors have halted, according to Windhorst.

The Warriors are reportedly interested in making a significant move before the trade deadline and Butler was one of the logical candidates to fulfill that goal. However, it’s well-known that Butler wants to be dealt to the Suns, who are hamstrung in making a blockbuster move because they’re operating over the second tax apron.

The only way Phoenix can complete such a deal to allow Butler to join forces with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant would be to send out Bradley Beal‘s contract. Miami hasn’t shown any interest in acquiring Beal, who has two years remaining on his contract after this season, including a $57.1MM option for 2026/27. Beal also has a no-trade clause and would have to agree to waive it whether he was routed to Miami or a third party.

The Suns are still the team pushing the hardest to land Butler ahead of Thursday’s deadline, the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang reports. In any Butler trade, the Heat want to acquire at least one quality player who can help the team this season, Chiang adds.

Butler, who has been suspended indefinitely by Miami for repeated violations of team rules, holds a $52.4MM option on his contract for next season.

Golden State also seriously explored trade proposals to acquire both Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučevic from the Bulls before opting to pursue other deals, NBA insider Marc Stein tweets. LaVine is on the move to Sacramento.

Raptors Considering Major Deals Ahead Of Trade Deadline

February 1st, 2025 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors are eager to shake up their roster before Thursday’s deadline and have interest in either facilitating a Jimmy Butler trade or acquiring Brandon Ingram from the Pelicans, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack column (subscription required).

Stein published a piece earlier this week detailing Toronto’s interest in Ingram. Since then, he says Stein Line partner Jake Fischer has heard from several sources that team president Masai Ujiri is considered to be a “fan of Ingram’s.” Ujiri is hoping to add a “significant piece” to his roster and reportedly likes the idea of combining Ingram’s scoring prowess with Scottie Barnes‘ play-making abilities.

However, the Raptors also want to be part of a potential deal if the Heat can find a taker for Butler, and they likely don’t have the resources to pull off both trades. Their primary salary-matching asset is Bruce Brown‘s $23MM expiring contract, while Chris Boucher and Davion Mitchell – both on expiring deals – are also being made available.

Sources tell Stein that if the Warriors decide to make an offer for Butler, they would likely feature Andrew Wiggins as the centerpiece. There’s a “strong expectation” that Toronto would try to get involved in that deal to land the Canadian, according to Stein.

Fischer recently reported that the Heat would have some interest in adding Brown, and Stein calls them “reluctant in the extreme” to take back any contracts that extend beyond 2025/26. That means they’d be less inclined to take on Wiggins, who has a $30.1MM player option for the 2026/27 season.

Brown’s salary would also be vital in the effort to acquire Ingram from New Orleans. Stein points out that Toronto hasn’t enjoyed much success in free agency, so trading for Ingram now could be a wise move before he becomes a free agent in July.

There are a limited number of teams projected to have cap space this summer, and taking a few months to build a relationship with Ingram could give the Raptors an advantage toward signing him to a long-term deal. They would hold his Bird rights in the offseason if they trade for him at the deadline.

Southeast Notes: Herro, Castleton, Caporn

February 1st, 2025 at 11:32am CST by Tristan Tucker

Heat guard Tyler Herro was named an All-Star for the first time in his career on Thursday night. He beat out the likes of Atlanta’s Trae Young, Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey for a spot as one of the East’s guards, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.

“I’m truly proud of Tyler because there’s been a lot of media that have thrown that man’s name in the mud,” teammate Bam Adebayo said. “Y’all have thrown his name in trade rumors, y’all have said he’s not good enough, he can’t do this and he can’t do that, all the way down to somebody’s wingspan. So just looking at it from that standpoint and understanding how great Tyler can be, it’s a testament to him and how he’s really worked on his body, how he’s really prepared himself for moments like this.”

Herro has been one of the most durable Heat players this season and he’s averaging career highs in points (24.1), rebounds (5.6), and assists (5.4) per game, as well as field goal percentage (47.4%), three-point percentage (40.0%) and three-point attempts per game (9.7). Herro will also be taking part in the NBA’s three-point contest on All-Star Saturday Night on Feb. 15.

“I feel like throughout the years, people thought it would come faster, sooner than this,” Herro said. “But I think the time that we put in every year, every summer, it finally paid off and it was a lot of different trials and tribulations, back and forths with [head coach Erik Spoelstra], what I need to work on every single year. But I always just came in and tried to get better every single day.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

While the trade deadline and Jimmy Butler saga are dominating headlines in the short term, Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel writes the Heat have a decision to make later this year on Herro, who will become eligible for an extension as of Oct. 1. While that’s still a way out, it will be interesting to see if that extension is put on the table immediately and whether Miami will be willing to offer the full three-year, $150MM deal Herro will be eligible for.
Former Grizzlies two-way center Colin Castleton landed with the Magic‘s G League affiliate in Osceola, The Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede observes (subscriber link). Castleton appeared in 10 games with the Grizzlies this year, averaging 1.4 points per game in very limited playing time. The Florida product is hoping to get back into the NBA through his time with Osceola. In 17 G League games, he’s averaging 15.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 blocks per night.
Basketball Australia’s general manager Jason Smith has flown to the United States to meet with both Hawks coach Quin Snyder and Wizards assistant Adam Caporn, NBA insider Jake Fischer reports. Both are major candidates in Australia’s search for a new head coach. We wrote about the Boomers’ interest in Snyder last week. Caporn was born in Australia, playing professionally with Wollongong and Perth. After retiring from his playing days, he has spent time as an assistant with Saint Mary’s, the Nets (and as head coach of their G League affiliate), and now the Wizards. He has also served as assistant for Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence.

Suns Notes: Booker, Butler, Trade Options, Durant

January 31st, 2025 at 8:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Devin Booker was named an All-Star in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024, but unless he’s a last-minute injury replacement, the Suns guard won’t be headed to San Francisco for this year’s event.

Addressing his omission after Friday morning’s shootaround, Booker told reporters that he would’ve loved to be selected, but added that there were many deserving players and that he’s “definitely not going to complain about taking a week to regroup with the family,” writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

While Booker’s shooting numbers (.444/.341/.893) are down this year, his averages of 25.5 points and 6.7 assists per game are above his career rates. Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer said on Wednesday that Booker is “clearly in our minds an All-Star” and teammate Kevin Durant agreed.

Durant also suggested that All-Star rosters should be expanded from 12 to 15 players to reflect the size of actual NBA rosters and to better reward deserving players: “So many great players going out there impacting their team in a positive way that are being snubbed. They’ll always be snubs every year, but I think we should add three more.”

Asked about the idea, Booker wasn’t opposed to it and pointed to a handful of players he felt were snubbed this season.

“I think there are enough talented guys out here, like I said, that are deserving,” Booker said. “You look at Kyrie (Irving), Norman Powell, those guys are having unbelievable, efficient years, and winning games. On the East, I’m sure there are guys too like Trae (Young) and LaMelo (Ball) that are putting up just unheard numbers. The more talent in there, the better.”

We have more on the Suns:

While the mutual interest between the Suns and Heat forward Jimmy Butler has been reported ad nauseam in recent weeks, Phoenix isn’t taking a “Butler or bust” approach to the trade deadline, says John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter links). According to Gambadoro, the front office is looking at more than 20 potential trade targets and the odds are in favor of the Suns making one or more deadline deals, even if they don’t end up landing Butler.
Although the Suns have no shortage of potential directions at the trade deadline, it remains safe to assume stars Durant and Booker aren’t going anywhere. Within an in-depth story on the situation in Phoenix, Ramona Shelburne and Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) say that teams who have called to ask about Durant have been rebuffed. That’s also been the case for the clubs “bold enough to inquire” on Booker, who has never given indication he’d leave Phoenix to chase a title elsewhere, sources tell Shelburne and Marks.
With Durant nearing the 30,000-point threshold and on the verge of surpassing Julius Erving for eighth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, Tim MacMahon of ESPN spoke to many of the forward’s current and former teammates about what makes the former MVP such an elite offensive player.

Trade Rumors: Butler, Pelicans, Fox, Spurs, Yabusele, Wolves, Bogdanovic

January 31st, 2025 at 7:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Addressing a Friday report that stated the Pelicans have contacted Miami about Jimmy Butler, John Gambadoro of Arizona 98.7 tweets that New Orleans has “no interest” in trading for the Heat forward.

Butler doesn’t want to go to New Orleans and the Pelicans would be hard-pressed to add him in a swap involving Brandon Ingram without increasing their team salary, which they don’t want to do, Gambadoro notes (via Twitter), adding that he believes the Heat or Butler’s agent are using the Pelicans for leverage.

For what it’s worth, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line – who initially co-reported the Pelicans/Heat discussions along with Marc Stein – said in a Bleacher Report stream on Friday (video link) that while the two teams have talked, he doesn’t think Butler ending up in New Orleans “sounds likely at all.”

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

Despite some chatter from local media in San Antonio about the Spurs potentially gaining momentum toward a De’Aaron Fox trade, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) hears from a source with knowledge of the situation that “all is quiet as of now” and that no deal involving the Kings star appears imminent. If the Spurs do make a deal for Fox, it’s unlikely to include Stephon Castle, according to plugged-in Sacramento reporter Damien Barling of ESPN 1320 (Twitter link), who says indications are that San Antonio won’t be willing to give up the rookie guard.
In another story for The Stein Line (Substack link), Fischer adds the Timberwolves to the list of teams that have inquired on Sixers big man Guerschon Yabusele. Philadelphia has received offers that include multiple second-round picks for Yabusele, according to Fischer.
After Stein reported on Thursday that the Hawks are actively exploring potential Bogdan Bogdanovic trades, Fischer follows up (Substack link) by citing momentum toward a deal, with confidence rising in Atlanta that a deal will get down. However, both Stein and Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link) dispute that a deal with the Suns involving Jusuf Nurkic is among the options currently under consideration.

Heat Notes: Fox, Adebayo, Ware, Herro

January 31st, 2025 at 2:36pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Bam Adebayo continues to serve as an ambassador for the Heat in attempts to recruit top players to Miami. Adebayo playing alongside Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard is a key reason why both players were interested in playing for the Heat before being traded elsewhere, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes. That’s why when Adebayo’s friend and former Kentucky teammate De’Aaron Fox was put on the trade block on Tuesday, it was safe to count the Heat among Fox’s potential destinations.

While the Spurs are said to be Fox’s preferred destination, the Heat have generally been in on most of the top stars to hit the trade market in the last few years. Adebayo discussed his relationship with Fox, noting that he was part of the point guard’s wedding party in 2022.

“That’s my man,” Adebayo said. “That’s my college roommate. Our relationship, for me, I think is very solid. I was in his wedding, I was a groomsman. That just shows the level of respect. That just shows the level of respect and obviously the bond that we have.”

Adebayo said he hasn’t spoken directly with Fox about trade possibilities and didn’t specifically address the possibility of the Heat making an offer for the Kings star.

“There are a lot of dudes who have been in organizations where in 10 years, they had seven or eight different coaches,” Adebayo said. “They’ve had teams where it’s all young dudes because they’re in the lottery all the time or dudes that have never been past the second round. They see the success here and they want to be a part of it.”

We have more from the Heat:

The Heat are seeing success from two-big lineups featuring Adebayo and rookie Kel’el Ware, but they ran into some difficulty when playing the similarly supersized Cavaliers on Wednesday, Chiang writes in a separate story. The Cavs’ frontcourt led by Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley helped Cleveland outscore Miami 68-38 in the paint. The Heat were also outscored in second-chance points. “The second-chance points are a big problem that we need to hone in on,” Adebayo said. “But it’s not just because we got two bigs out there, you think you’re going to fix a problem. You’re trying to add pressure to a rookie that just really started getting his minutes and started to get his feet wet. So I don’t really look at it in that sense. But we do collectively as a group have to get better at rebounding.“
The Heat are sixth in the East following Wednesday’s loss to the Cavs, just a half-game ahead of the Magic and Pistons. While Ware is still a work in progress, the Heat are trying to win now behind their young talent. “We’re a bigger frontline and this needs to be corrected,” Spoelstra said, per Chiang. “There are no excuses now. We have to be a lot more physical and purposeful on the glass. It’s that important for us to finish possessions.”
Trade chatter surrounding Jimmy Butler could have easily derailed the Heat’s season, but they’re in playoff position due in part to Tyler Herro‘s career year, which earned him his first All-Star nod on Thursday. As William Guillory of The Athletic writes, Herro’s inclusion in trade rumors in his first few seasons in the league helped him sharpen his mindset. “Honestly, I think a lot of that stuff helped me. It might sound crazy. I think it allowed me to come in with a clear mindset,” Herro said. “There was so much talk [in the summer of 2023] that there was no way I could avoid it. I couldn’t pretend like it wasn’t there. But once I just accepted that there was nothing I could do about it, it made it a lot easier to just focus on hooping. Overall, I think it helped me become a better player.“

Pelicans Contact Heat About Jimmy Butler

January 31st, 2025 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans are the latest team to get involved in Jimmy Butler trade talks, Jake Fischer and Marc Stein reveal in a Substack column (subscriber only).

League sources tell Fischer and Stein that New Orleans contacted the Heat this week about Butler, although terms of the offer weren’t divulged. The authors’ sources say Brandon Ingram‘s $36MM expiring contract would be the basis of the deal.

The Pelicans have been exploring the trade market for Ingram after being unable to work out an extension with him last summer. Sources tell The Stein Line that New Orleans has been attempting to use Ingram’s contract to facilitate a Butler trade, but eventually decided to make its own offer.

Even though Ingram hasn’t played since December 7 due to injury, getting a player with his pedigree would intrigue the Heat as they prepare to make a playoff run. However, the authors aren’t sure what Butler’s reaction might be to joining a 12-36 New Orleans team whose season has been derailed by injuries to numerous rotation players.

Butler makes roughly $12.8MM more than Ingram this season, so the Pelicans would have to add multiple players to match salaries. Fischer and Stein note that they’re currently almost $1.5MM over the tax line and are expected to maneuver underneath it to avoid paying the tax in a lost season. That means one or more additional teams may have to get involved to allow them to acquire Butler and still duck the tax.

The Suns remain Butler’s preferred destination, according to the authors, but that possibility looks increasingly remote as no teams want to take on Bradley Beal‘s contract and Beal appears unlikely to waive his no-trade clause. That leaves the Pelicans with the Warriors, Bucks and Grizzlies as teams that have been publicly linked to Butler. They all have the resources to complete a deal, but Fischer and Stein note that none of them have gone all-in with their efforts to acquire the disgruntled forward.

Stein reported earlier this week that the Raptors have expressed interest in Ingram, marking the first movement on that front in several months. The Pelicans also had preliminary discussions with the Hawks about Ingram, but sources told Stein that they “have not gained significant traction.”