Latest On Jimmy Butler
Both sides are angry in the Jimmy Butler standoff, but that doesn’t guarantee that he’ll be traded by the February 6 deadline, according to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Butler’s comments after Thursday’s game about hoping to “get my joy back from playing basketball” came after a conversation earlier in the day between his representatives and Heat officials, sources tell the authors. Butler was upset because he and his agent believed the team was implying he didn’t play hard in Wednesday’s game against New Orleans, which he finished with nine points and four rebounds in 25 minutes as he returned to the lineup after missing five games with an illness.
Team representatives contend Thursday’s meeting was a “macro level discussion” that addressed concerns over Butler’s behavior as trade rumors have intensified over the last few weeks.
Butler and his agent are claiming that the team threatened to suspend him after the Pelicans game, Jackson tweets, but Heat officials deny that ever happened.
With Butler’s future in Miami almost guaranteed to end following this season, if not earlier, Jackson and Chiang see three potential resolutions. The most immediate is a trade before next month’s deadline, but the authors point out problems with each of Butler’s preferred destinations.
If he’s sent to the Warriors, Miami would almost certainly have to take back Andrew Wiggins‘ contract, paying him $28.2MM and $30.2MM over the next two years. Jackson and Chiang note that the Heat’s projected tax bill of more than $15MM comes in part from giving large salaries to Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier. Another big contract for a non-All Star would worsen the team’s financial position, with Bam Adebayo on a max deal and Tyler Herro averaging $30MM per season.
The same issue exists with the Suns, as the authors state that Miami has “no interest” in taking on Bradley Beal, who is still owed $160MM. However, they believe the equation could change if Kevin Durant decides to ask out of Phoenix amid a disappointing start to the season.
Butler has also reportedly expressed a desire to join the Rockets or Mavericks, but Jackson and Chiang note that Houston has denied interest in taking on older players, while Dallas doesn’t have enough trade assets to interest Miami.
The Nuggets could emerge as another possibility by offering Michael Porter Jr., the authors state. However, they caution that he has also never been an All-Star and is owed $38.3MM and $40.8MM over the next two seasons. A third team would be necessary to complete most of these deals, but Detroit at $14MM is currently the only option with cap space.
Butler could also be traded this summer, either by picking up his $52.4MM player option or declining it and working with the team on a sign-and-trade. The issue there would be that most teams aren’t in position to absorb Butler’s salary outright and would have to send out contracts in order to accommodate him.
If Miami isn’t interested in what Butler’s suitors have to offer, a third or fourth team might be necessary to take on that unwanted salary. Jackson and Chiang project that up to 11 teams are in position to create cap room during the offseason to help facilitate a trade.
If Miami could trade Butler without taking back salary in return, it would leave the team with a trade exception equal to whatever Butler will be making in the first season of his new contract, along with a non-taxpayer mid-level exception worth $14.1MM and the $5.1MM bi-annual exception. They would have 10 players under contract — possibly 11 if Keshad Johnson exercises his $1.9MM player option — at a total cost of about $141MM, roughly $13.6MM below the projected salary cap.
The final option is for Butler to sign elsewhere in free agency, but the authors consider that less likely because only Brooklyn currently projects to have enough cap room to offer a deal in his desired salary range without the Heat’s help.
Western Notes: Nurkic, Fox, Davis, Blazers, Harden
Despite a report to the contrary, the Suns aren’t actively shopping Jusuf Nurkic, a source tells Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link).
While the distinction may matter to Nurkic himself, the question of whether or not the veteran center is being “actively shopped” likely comes down to semantics, since it’s clear Phoenix would move him if the right opportunity arises.
However, it won’t be easy to find that right opportunity. Nurkic, who has one more guaranteed year left on his contract after this season, will have limited value on the trade market and may be easier to trade in the offseason, Bourguet notes. The Suns also can’t aggregate salaries in a trade since they’re operating over the second tax apron, meaning Nurkic can’t be dealt for a player earning more than he is ($18.13MM).
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Weighing in on the De’Aaron Fox situation in Sacramento, Marc Stein (Substack link) covers many of the same bases that Sam Amick of The Athletic did earlier today, writing that teams are keeping a close eye on the situation even though the Kings aren’t yet willing to entertain the idea of trading their star point guard. Discussing the possibility of the Rockets pursuing Fox, Stein cautions not to assume Houston will be in the mix, even though the 27-year-old fits the team’s timeline better than previously rumored targets like Jimmy Butler or Kevin Durant. Rockets officials like how the current roster looks and may not zero in on Fox as the player they want to sacrifice several valuable assets to acquire, Stein writes.
- The Lakers held Anthony Davis out of action on Thursday vs. Portland due to a left ankle sprain. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays (via Twitter), head coach JJ Redick said before the game that the Lakers want to “be smart” about Davis’ lingering ankle soreness and pointed out that the team faces a challenging January schedule, with 17 games in the next 30 days.
- In a preview of what 2025 holds for the Trail Blazers, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link) reiterates a point he has made before, writing that it’s “hard to picture” a scenario in which Chauncey Billups is still coaching the Blazers by the time the 2025/26 season tips off. Highkin also explores where things stand with Portland’s top trade candidates and the Blazers’ ownership situation, among other topics.
- Clippers star James Harden was downgraded to questionable and then ruled out for the team’s Thursday game vs. Oklahoma City due to groin soreness. As Law Murray of The Athletic tweets, Harden also missed one game last month due to a groin issue — if the ailment isn’t any more serious this time around, it shouldn’t cause him to miss much – if any – additional time.
And-Ones: 2025, Balance, Expansion, Neto, MVP
In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Tim Bontemps lists seven storylines people around the NBA will be monitoring in 2025. Due to their combination of young players, draft assets and a coach (Ime Udoka) that players want to play for, the Rockets are widely viewed as the team to watch the next time a star becomes available on the trade market.
“The whole landscape of the league,” an Eastern Conference scout said, “could change based off what they do.”
Although no one actually expects anything to change, since it would require certain teams to vote against their best interests, league sources tell Bontemps that the imbalance of power between the two conferences may see more calls for playoff seedings to be ranked 1-to-16 instead of the traditional format of 1-to-8 in each conference.
League insiders are also keeping a close eye on the Celtics‘ impending sale — specifically how much the team sells for — as a potential bellwether for expansion, according to Bontemps. The cities of Seattle and Las Vegas continue to be mentioned in league circles as possible expansion spots.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- ESPN insiders Ohm Youngmisuk, Jamal Collier, Chris Herring, Dave McMenamin and Tim MacMahon answer some key questions related to the remainder of the 2024/25 season. Youngmisuk and MacMahon picked Victor Wembanyama to be the breakout player of 2025, with Paolo Banchero, Donte DiVincenzo and Trae Young also receiving votes.
- Former NBA guard Raul Neto and Spanish EuroLeague club Barcelona have parted ways, according to a team press release. Barcelona described the move as mutual. The Brazilian point guard has had terrible injury luck over the past two seasons. After missing the entire 2023/24 campaign due to a knee injury, he was limited to just two appearances with Barcelona, getting injured on each occasion. In his debut in late November, he sustained an injury that sidelined him for four weeks. In his return on Dec. 27, he suffered a left thigh injury that will sideline him for 12 weeks. An eight-year veteran, Neto’s last NBA action came for Cleveland during the ’22/23 season.
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports ranks his current top-five choices for the 2025 MVP award, though he only views three players as “serious contenders” for first place: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic.
Kings Rumors: Fox, Brown, Ranadivé, Johnson, Ellis
In the wake of Mike Brown‘s dismissal, there has been plenty of speculation that De’Aaron Fox played a role in the Kings‘ decision, given that Brown was often critical of Fox when speaking to the media, including in the final days before he was let go. The Kings star was asked by one reporter over the weekend whether he felt “pressure or guilt” about Brown losing his job.
However, Fox has adamantly denied any involvement in the move, telling ESPN that he was on good terms with Brown and liked being coached hard by him. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, team and league sources have backed up Fox’s account.
Brown himself is known to believe that Fox had nothing to do with the decision, league sources tell The Athletic. While general manager Monte McNair claimed responsibility for the coaching change, Amick writes that team owner Vivek Ranadivé was actually the “driving force” behind Brown’s ouster. Ranadivé has not spoken to the media.
Here’s more on the Kings:
- The decision to fire a well-respected coach and then not adequately explain the decision to reporters is a textbook example of how to turn Fox into a “sympathetic figure” and perhaps make him more justified in seeking a change of scenery sooner or later, Amick observes. Fox has not asked for a trade, per league sources who spoke to The Athletic, but potential suitors are monitoring the situation closely. Among those teams, there’s a belief that the Kings point guard is more likely to become available in the offseason than prior to the February 6 trade deadline, Amick reports. Fox will be extension-eligible again next summer after passing on a new deal this past offseason.
- According to Amick, the Spurs, Heat, and Lakers are atop the list of teams most frequently discussed as possible suitors for Fox if he becomes available via trade. The Magic and Rockets are among the other clubs thought to be considering the idea of pursuing Fox, though “the Spurs noise is the loudest,” Amick says.
- For the time being, the Kings are focused on upgrading their current roster and don’t intend to entertain inquiries on Fox, according to Amick, who confirms that Nets forward Cameron Johnson is high on the team’s wish list, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype previously reported. Sacramento has had “extensive” discussions with Brooklyn about Johnson, Amick writes.
- The Kings moved to 2-1 under interim head coach Doug Christie with a 113-107 victory over Philadelphia on Wednesday. Defensive ace Keon Ellis earned a start and played a season-high 38 minutes, with Sacramento outscoring the Sixers by 17 points during Ellis’ time on the court. “He’s amazing,” Kings center Domantas Sabonis said of Ellis, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “He’s a professional. He stays ready, and he’s always there when we need him, especially on defense.”
NBA Suspends Amen Thompson Two Games, Terry Rozier One Game
Rockets swingman Amen Thompson has been suspended for two games, while Heat guard Terry Rozier has received a one-game suspension, the NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
Thompson and Rozier are being suspended for the roles they played in the on-court altercation that occurred during the final minute of the Heat/Rockets game in Houston on Sunday. In addition to the suspensions, the league announced that Rockets guard Jalen Green has been fined $35K and Heat guard Tyler Herro has been fined $25K for their involvement in the fracas.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has received a $50K fine for verbal abuse of a referee and not leaving the court in a timely manner after being ejected.
Additionally, Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet has been fined $35K for making “reckless” contact with official Marc Davis. That incident occurred moments before the altercation that led to the other penalties.
With Miami up by five points and about to inbound the ball with 35.7 seconds left in Sunday’s game, Herro and Thompson began exchanging words and bumping one another (Twitter video link). Thompson grabbed Herro by the jersey and threw him to the floor, which led to Rozier tackling Thompson as Green went after Rozier and several other players and coaches converged on the melee.
Once the dust settled, those four players, along with Udoka and Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan, were ejected. Sullivan is the only one of those ejected who wasn’t fined or suspended today.
Tensions were already running high leading up to the melee, as VanVleet was tossed from the game after arguing that a timeout should have been awarded to Houston before Davis called the team for a five-second violation on its inbound play (Twitter video link).
VanVleet made contact with Davis during the argument, which the veteran official deemed to be intentional, resulting in the guard’s ejection. Udoka was also sniping back and forth with Davis at that time and was eventually ejected for “unsportsmanlike comments,” per the crew chief.
The suspension will keep Thompson out of action for Wednesday’s game vs. Dallas and Friday’s contest vs. Boston. It will also cost him $127,586, which is 2/145ths of his $9,249,960 full-season salary, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
Rozier, who will have to sit out Wednesday’s game vs. New Orleans, will forfeit $143,242, which is 1/174th of his $24,924,126 salary.
Kings Notes: Trade Talks, Brown, Fox, Carter
As the Kings began to slide down the Western Conference standings over the past several weeks, the front office contemplated making smaller trades “just to change things up,” and also discussed larger deals involving Bulls wing Zach LaVine, Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, Nets guard Cam Thomas, and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, league sources tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
According to Shelburne, the Kings consulted with former head coach Mike Brown on whether to make roster or coaching staff changes prior to parting ways with the 2023 Coach of the Year.
“Nobody wanted to fire Mike,” one Kings source told Shelburne. “He’s a good coach. People here really care about him. Until the very last moment we were trying to make it work.”
Sources tell Shelburne that general manager Monte McNair, assistant GM Wes Wilcox, team president Matina Kolokotronis and owner Vivek Ranadive had “several calls and meetings” to discuss Brown’s future with the organization during Sacramento’s recent 0-5 homestand. McNair ultimately called Brown to inform him of the decision as Brown was driving to the airport to board a team flight to L.A. — the timing and execution of the move drew criticism from around the NBA.
After speaking to Brown, McNair and Wilcox called De’Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis to let them know, but none were consulted beforehand, Shelburne reports.
Shelburne also confirms a report from The Athletic stating that Kings players had grown weary of Brown publicly bashing the team in post-game press conferences.
For what it’s worth, Marc Stein writes that it’s a “struggle to find anyone around the league” who thinks the firing of Brown was justified (Substack link).
Here’s more on the Kings:
- There has been some speculation that Fox may have been unhappy with Brown, in part because of the way the veteran coach criticized him for committing a disastrous foul in the closing seconds of Thursday’s loss to Detroit, but the former All-Star tells Shelburne he enjoys being coached hard and was on good terms with Brown. “I feel like there’s this perception that people thought that we were at odds,” Fox says. “You can ask anybody in this organization: me and Mike have never even had an argument. We could disagree with something. We talked about it and it was gone.”
- According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, there have been “grumblings in NBA circles” suggesting that Fox will ask to be traded before the February 6 deadline. With that in mind, Pincus comes up with a hypothetical deal that sees Fox land with the Rockets.
- Rookie guard Devin Carter made his NBA G League debut with the Stockton Kings on Saturday and was recalled prior to Sunday’s matchup with the Lakers, though he didn’t end up playing in what would have been a back-to-back (Twitter link via Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento). Still, it’s obviously a positive development, as Carter is inching closer to making his NBA regular season debut following offseason shoulder surgery.
Heat/Rockets Altercation Likely To Result In Suspensions, Fines
An on-court altercation broke out during the final minute of Sunday’s Heat/Rockets game, resulting in several ejections that will likely to lead to suspensions and/or fines for the players involved.
With Miami up by five points and about to inbound the ball with 35.7 seconds left in the game, Heat guard Tyler Herro and Rockets guard Amen Thompson began exchanging words and bumping one another (Twitter video link).
Thompson grabbed Herro by the jersey and threw him to the floor, which led to Heat guard Terry Rozier tackling Thompson as Rockets guard Jalen Green went after Rozier and several other players and coaches converged on the melee.
Once the dust settled, those four players, along with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka and assistant Ben Sullivan, were ejected. Crew chief Marc Davis explained the decision after the game to pool reporter Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
“During the dead ball, Thompsons grabs the jersey and body slams Herro,” Davis said. “Herro responds and they are both ejected for fighting fouls. Green is ejected as his actions escalated the altercation. Rozier as well is ejected as his actions were escalators to the altercation. Coach Sullivan is assessed a technical foul and ejected for his unsportsmanlike comments directed at me as I was attempting to redirect (Alperen) Sengun.”
Tensions were already running high leading up to the play, as Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet was tossed from the game moments earlier after arguing that a timeout should have been awarded to Houston before Davis called the team for a five-second violation on its inbound play (Twitter video link).
VanVleet made contact with Davis during the argument, which the veteran official deemed to be intentional, resulting in the guard’s ejection. Udoka was also sniping back and forth with Davis at that time and was eventually ejected for “unsportsmanlike comments,” per the crew chief.
Naji Marshall (four games), Jusuf Nurkic (three games), and P.J. Washington (one game) received suspensions on Saturday for their roles in an incident involving the Mavericks and Suns in Friday’s game, so it would be a surprise if similar penalties aren’t handed out in response to this latest skirmish.
Thompson seems likely to face the most significant punishment from the league, with Rozier and Green at risk of possible suspensions as well. It’s unclear how the NBA will view Herro’s role, given that he didn’t reenter the fray after initially being thrown to the floor.
Although it took the NBA less than 24 hours to make its ruling after the Mavs/Suns altercation, that was at least partly because both teams were in the middle of back-to-back sets and the league wanted to announce suspensions prior to Saturday’s games. Neither the Heat nor the Rockets play until Wednesday, so the NBA may take a little more time to review this case.
Thompson didn’t speak to reporters after Sunday’s game, but Herro suggested with a smile during his post-game media session that his own big night (27 points, nine assists, six rebounds) led to Thompson’s frustration.
“Guess that’s what happens when someone’s scoring, throwing dimes, doing the whole thing,” Herro said (Twitter video link). “I’d get mad, too.”
Sengun Shines Vs. Gobert, Wolves Despite Loss
- Rockets center Alperen Sengun has been regularly double- and even triple-teamed this season, and he showed why when Minnesota tried to stop him one-on-one on Friday, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscriber link). Despite Houston losing the game by one point, Sengun was largely excellent, recording 38 points on 16-of-25 shooting and grabbing 12 rebounds in 41 minutes. “We just go game by game,” Sengun said. “When they’re doubling me, I’m just reading the right game, passing. And today they were just letting me play one-on-one so it was my day to go. And then I was aggressive start of the game. I kept that in all game.”
Kings Notes: Christie, Expectations, Ellis, Fox
The Kings changed coaches on Friday in response to a five-game losing streak, but they didn’t look much different Saturday night in Doug Christie’s debut, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Defense continued to be a glaring issue as the team sank further in the West with a 132-122 road loss against the Lakers. Sacramento gave up 40 points in the first quarter and 42 points in the third quarter before a late rally fell short.
After the loss, Christie told reporters that the key to turning the season around is getting a commitment from his players on both ends of the court.
“We have enough,” he said. “This is a message that I said to them. There is enough in this locker room, but how we get over that is the types of things I’ve talked about. The consistency, the focus, the willingness to play for my team at such a high level that it hurts and I have to come out of the game. It’s up to me to be able to find that.”
Christie had a 15-year NBA career as an intense competitor who specialized in defense, and he wants to bring that same attitude to the team. While they were caught off guard by the sudden loss of Mike Brown, several players pledged their dedication to Christie as he tries to salvage the season after a 13-19 start.
“Everyone likes Doug, so for him to be our interim head coach for the rest of the year, I think everyone is going to try to rally around him and give him the best situation possible, try to not give him as much stress,” Keegan Murray said. “He’s definitely been to each and every one of us in some way or another just to try to motivate us. He’s been great these last 24 hours, just trying to motivate our team to turn the season around.”
There’s more on the Kings:
- The team’s ownership and front office have made it clear that there’s no “grace period” and that results are expected immediately, Kevin Huerter told Anderson in the same story. With the trade deadline less than six weeks away, it’s possible that major changes could be coming if the Kings don’t start winning. “For us, that was a message that was very clear yesterday,” Huerter said. “We don’t see this as a lost season. We’ve got to right the ship. We’ve got to turn this around, so there’s definitely no grace period … We’ve had a lot of different meetings over the last 24 hours. Generally, there’s still a lot of belief in this organization and this room, and we think we’ve got to create some urgency to try to turn it around.”
- Third-year guard Keon Ellis may see a larger role as the Kings try to upgrade their perimeter defense, Christie added (Twitter video link from Law Murray of The Athletic). “Keon is a perfect example of a lot of things that I want,” Christie said. “When he got into the game tonight, he didn’t shoot the shot. He put it on the deck and he got in the lane. I looked at him and I said, ‘Listen, man, you gotta shoot that. I need you to shoot the basketball; you shoot it well. Defensively, you pick up. You’re an irritant. You need to get after people. So a lot of the things that he does, we need, but we need him to shoot that basketball.
- If De’Aaron Fox decides to ask for a trade before the deadline, the Spurs and Rockets are teams to watch, along with possibly the Lakers and Heat, Tim MacMahon of ESPN said on the latest edition of The Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to HoopsHype).
Rockets Notes: Thompson, Eason, Whitmore, VanVleet
Amen Thompson‘s value to the Rockets goes beyond his statistics and his intense defensive presence, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Thompson is officially listed as a small forward, but he seems to fit in well wherever the team needs him. He replaced Dillon Brooks in the starting lineup in Monday’s win at Charlotte, and Feigen points out that he also filled in when center Alperen Sengun was injured last season and when point guard Fred VanVleet has missed time.
“He can play every position on the court,” VanVleet said. “He’s a Swiss Army knife. He can play one through five. He can screen-and-roll. He’s shooting the three now. He can score. He can guard. He’s just a plug-able guy. You can put him anywhere on the court and be successful. He stepped right in for D.B. and we didn’t lose a step.”
Outside shooting was the main concern about Thompson heading into the 2023 draft, but he shown some progress in that area, improving from 13.8% from beyond the arc as a rookie to 29.7% so far this season. The rest of his game is solid and he has been especially effective as a starter, averaging 18 points and nine rebounds while shooting 53.3% from the floor in the three games he has started this year. Feigen notes that the Rockets are scoring 127 points per 100 possessions with him in that role, which would give them the most productive offense in the league.
“You can put him on a bunch of different people, switched and made it tough on (LaMelo) Ball early,” coach Ime Udoka said. “I think it was a whole team effort when you hold a team to 31 in the first half. Amen kind of spearheaded that. On both sides of the ball. He can guard one through five. We’re comfortable with that. Then, offensively, he’s played on ball at times as a backup point guard, or on the wing, and at the four last year. We can plug him into all those situations on both sides. It’s a luxury for sure.”
There’s more from Houston:
- Tari Eason has missed three straight games due to left lower leg injury management, but the Rockets don’t believe it’s a long-term concern, Feigen adds in a separate story. Eason is a valuable member of the bench unit, leading all NBA reserves in steals and ranking fourth in blocks. “He had some soreness come up in the same leg,” Udoka said. “So, just wanted to give him some days. Obviously, we had the time off (after) the in-season tournament. I think at times, being a little bit stagnant is worse than actually playing, and it stiffened up a little bit.”
- Cam Whitmore wasn’t discouraged after being sent to the G League early in the season, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle. The second-year forward has been getting an opportunity with the Rockets since being recalled recently, scoring 11 points in 14 minutes on Sunday and 17 points in 27 minutes on Monday. “To go kill ’em,” he said of his approach to the G League. “Whatever’s in front of me, I’m gonna be lights out. I’m on assignment, so I’m just gonna go down there, I’m gonna keep grinding every day, keep getting better — better human being and a better basketball player.”
- Kelly Iko of The Athletic examines VanVleet’s prolonged shooting slump to determine why the veteran guard has been missing shots that he typically makes. A career 37.5% three-point shooter entering this season, VanVleet has connected on just 29.8% of his tries from beyond the arc through 27 games.