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.
This is what I think
Only Two teams will offer Butler a maximum-salary contract extension if Heat are willing to take Beal or George contract
Suns and 76ers
Riley needs to sit down with Butler. Give him 3 options:
Grizzlies
Bucks
or rejoin the Heat
Lakers are very smart on contracts.
Assume that Lakers have cap room to sign George or Butler, Lakers can only offer 2 years $100 million contract,
There is no way that Lakers offer Paul George $220 million contract, no way.
Lakers are smart on contracts? Gabe Vincents contract sure look smart.
Their only good contract is reaves
Butler to suns/ Beal & 2031 Frp to pistons (via suns)/ Hardaway Jr and Tobias to heat.
Why would Beal waive his no trade clause to go to the Pistons?
They’re an ascending team, he’d start and he gets away from the BS in Phoenix.
He’d go from the 3rd option on a below 500 team to the first option on an above 500 team?
Beal absolutely would not be the first option on the Pistons ahead of Cade.
We all know Beal only wants the money. No way he of all players should have a no trade clause. Suns don’t want him there any longer. Do you remain in a department where you aren’t wanted? Or do you transfer?
Beal is going to wait it out till deadline. He will waive it then. He looks like hus legs are coming back. Riley is being nice. He may trade him to the Nets for Simmons and picks. And let them cut him.
Why would the Nets do that? They benefit how? You know they’re trying to lose games right?
Jimmy to >>>>>>> Lakers
0.000000 % chance Milwaukee is even thinking about this. It makes no sense for Milwaukee. They can’t improve with this move, unless they receive and enormous amount of draft capital, which Miami doesn’t have.
This is somebody trying to boost their blog chatter.