Southeast Notes: Rozier, Johnson, Jaquez, Banchero, Williams
Terry Rozier is waiting on his three-point luck to turn around, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. A career 36.3% shooter, Rozier is connecting on just 33.2% during his Heat tenure, including 29.2% this season.
“I shoot the same every year. It will work for me. It’s just ups and downs,” Rozier said. “Once it starts clicking, it’s going to start clicking. I don’t care what my percentage is; I know it’s always 50 percent chance of going in.”
Rozier was removed from the starting lineup for 14 games but has been a starter in five of his past six outings. He’s averaging 12.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game on the season. The Heat traded a first-round pick and Kyle Lowry to acquire Rozier ahead of last year’s deadline.
“We all want to start in this league,” Rozier said. “Nobody wants to be a starter and go to the bench no matter what they say. I’m happy being in the starting lineup. It might not be [permanent]; you never know.”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- In the same article, Jackson notes that Heat rookie Keshad Johnson received a call from Charlotte after going undrafted in 2024, but Johnson knew he wanted to sign with Miami. “Here is where dreams come true,” Johnson said regarding the Heat’s previous success with undrafted players.
- Second-year Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. is enjoying the best stretch of his season, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. He’s averaging 16.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists while shooting 54.5% from the floor and 36.4% on three-pointers in his last four games — he also pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds on Monday and scored a season-high 20 points on Thursday.
- Paolo Banchero made his return for the Magic on Friday after missing the last two months with a torn oblique. He scored 34 points in a narrow loss to the Bucks in his first game back, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes. “I didn’t see that one coming, I can tell you that,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “But that’s who he is. The kid’s been working his tail off to get back in. And so, what he was able to do with poise, taking the right shots at the right time, defending, taking matchups on, this tells you how much he wants to go get it and get after it. That’s who he is. He’s a star for a reason.” While the Magic stayed afloat without Banchero, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes that his return and tremendous play gives the team more hope going forward.
- Mark Williams has picked up where he left off for the Hornets after returning from health issues that sidelined him for a full year, averaging 12.2 points and 7.7 rebounds in 13 games (10 starts) this year. In an interview with Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina, Williams opened up about his recovery and having his minutes restriction lifted. “In my time that I was out, I was working on my game,” Williams said. “Obviously my teammates are finding me. There are a lot of spots that I’m comfortable in on the floor, whether it’s my floaters or my dunks. I’m also finding them at the same time for kicks and handoffs. That’s just us regaining the chemistry back with my teammates.“
NBA Postpones Saturday’s Lakers, Clippers Games
The NBA has decided to postpone the Lakers and Clippers games that had been scheduled to take place on Saturday in Los Angeles, the league announced in a press release (Twitter link).
The Spurs had been scheduled to face the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, while the Hornets were supposed to make their first visit to the Intuit Dome to face the Clippers. Dates for the rescheduled games will be announced at a later time, according to the league.
The NBA and its two Los Angeles teams have been communicating with local officials in L.A. and Inglewood, the league said in its statement, adding that postponing the games will ensure no resources are diverted from the wildfire response efforts.
The NBA also said that the league and the players’ union are donating $1MM in support of those affected by the L.A. wildfires, with that money going to the American Red Cross, World Central Kitchen, and other organizations.
Both the Lakers and Clippers are also scheduled to play home games on Monday, with the Lakers hosting the Spurs (again) and the Clippers scheduled to play the Heat. Those matchups are up in the air for now, though Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link) hears that the Clippers expect to play their game vs. Miami.
Saturday’s game is the second postponement for both the Lakers and Hornets, who had been scheduled to face one another on Thursday.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick fought back tears during a media session on Friday discussing the impact of the fires on his community and the loss of his family’s home, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“I was not prepared for what I saw,” Redick said. “It’s complete devastation and destruction. I had to go a kind of a different way to the house, but I went through most of the [Palisades] Village and it’s all gone. And I don’t think you can ever prepare yourself for something like that. Our home, our home is gone.
“… The Palisades community has really just been so good to us. I think that’s the part for us that we’re really struggling with is just the loss of community. And I recognize that people make up community, and we’re going to rebuild, and we want to help lead on that. But all the churches, the schools, the library, like, it’s all gone.”
Redick spoke to reporters about some of the irreplaceable personal and family items that were lost, but stressed that he’s more concerned about those affected by the fires who will have a harder time dealing with the aftermath.
“I don’t want people to feel sorry for me and my family,” Redick said. “We’re going to be alright. There are people that, because of some political issues and some insurance issues, are not going to be alright. And we’re going to do everything we can to help anybody who is down and out because of this.”
Jimmy Butler Notes: Bucks, Trade Timeline, Riley, More
Multiple reports this week indicated that the Grizzlies and Bucks are among the teams that have been advised not to pursue a trade for Heat forward Jimmy Butler, and while Sam Amick of The Athletic has “for sure” heard that Memphis received that message, he’s less certain about what’s going on with Milwaukee.
“The Milwaukee thing, I’m admittedly a little confused by,” Amick said during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back (Twitter video link). “… I was told from somebody who 100% would and should know that Jimmy’s camp had not spoken about Milwaukee and also hadn’t been asked about Milwaukee.
While the Bucks were named on Monday as one of the clubs considering the possibility of making a play for Butler, Amick is skeptical that they plan to seriously explore that idea, whether or not they’ve been warned off by the forward’s camp.
“There is chatter about the Bucks and the idea of them kicking it around. Regardless of exactly what was said, I would move off that possibility,” Amick continued. “I don’t sense a lot of eagerness from the Bucks’ side to go down that road.”
Since the Bucks are currently operating about $6.5MM above the second tax apron, they’d have to reduce their team salary by more than that amount before – or as part of – any trade for Butler in order to legally aggregate multiple player contracts for matching purposes.
Here are a few more items related to the NBA’s most prominent trade candidate:
- Within a detailed breakdown of where things stand with Butler, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports cites league sources who believe there’s a real chance the 35-year-old could remain in Miami all season and not be traded until the summer, at which time it would be easier for the Heat to construct a deal that works for both them and their trade partner(s).
- Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald takes a closer look at what the Heat’s options in the 2025 offseason would be if they were to sign-and-trade Butler or allow him to walk as a free agent.
- Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel checks in on the latest developments related to the Butler drama, including Heat president Pat Riley talking to Dan Le Batard about critics who say he’s “washed” and Butler seemingly taking a passive-aggressive jab at Riley and the Heat in a social media video.
- In his most recent mailbag (subscription required), Winderman considers whether it’s fair to the rest of the players on the roster for the Heat to put them in the middle of more drama by bringing Butler back at the end of his suspension instead of taking the best offer on the table at that point.
- A recent feature from Ben Golliver of The Washington Post includes some exclusive quotes from Butler. Those quotes are about a month old, predating the developments of the past few weeks, but one comment from Butler perhaps provides some insight into why he was upset that the Heat were unwilling to offer him a maximum-salary contract extension over the summer. “I still think I’m in my prime if I’m being brutally honest,” Butler told Golliver.
Injury Notes: Vanderbilt, Warriors, Agbaji, Richardson
Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt hasn’t played an NBA game in more than 11 months, with his last appearance coming in Boston on February 1, 2024. However, he continues to inch closer to making his season debut, having been assigned to the South Bay Lakers for a practice this morning and subsequently being recalled to practice with the NBA club (Twitter links via Dave McMenamin of ESPN).
Vanderbilt, who made just 29 appearances in 2023/24 due to a heel injury, underwent surgeries on both of his feet during the offseason, then experienced a setback (fluid build-up in his left knee) in early December. He’s expected to suit up at some point in January, though he’ll be on a minutes restriction when he’s available.
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
- The Warriors will be shorthanded again on Friday at Indiana. Stephen Curry (knee management) and Draymond Green (back) have both been ruled out for the second end of a back-to-back, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Andrew Wiggins (personal reasons), Jonathan Kuminga (ankle sprain), Brandin Podziemski (right abdominal) and Gary Payton II (left calf strain) will also be sidelined. On a brighter note, fourth-year wing Moses Moody is probable Friday after missing Thursday’s game due to patellar tendinopathy in his left knee, per the league’s official injury report. Center Trayce Jackson-Davis is questionable due to a left eye contusion.
- Raptors wing Ochai Agbaji missed his first game of the season on Thursday in Cleveland due to a left hip pointer. He’s also doubtful to suit up for Saturday’s matchup in Detroit, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). A former lottery pick, Agbaji will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.
- Heat guard/forward Josh Richardson was technically active for Thursday’s win in Utah, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), though the impending free agent didn’t receive any playing time. Richardson has been plagued by a heel injury for much of the 2024/25 season, only making eight appearances to this point and last playing on November 18.
Heat Rumors: Butler, Suns, Suspension, 2026, Love
Star forward Jimmy Butler has tried to apply pressure on the Heat to trade him sooner rather than later, but team sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic that Miami won’t be rushed into making a deal it doesn’t like.
According to Amick, Heat officials told players after Butler received a seven-game suspension that the “most likely next step” would be Butler rejoining the team after its lengthy road trip. The Heat viewed Butler’s behavior as “increasingly problematic,” hence the suspension, and wanted to give the two sides a break and deal with it when the club returns home next week.
Butler’s tactics have somewhat overshadowed how impactful he can be when he’s fully engaged on the court, Amick writes, and may have given potential suitors pause. While things can change quickly in the NBA, Butler’s situation may not be resolved until closer to the deadline — assuming he’s traded at all.
A “best-case scenario” for the Heat would be a team becoming desperate to turn its season around and rethinking its stance on Butler, with Amick pointing to the Warriors as one example. Miami won handily at Golden State on Tuesday sans Butler.
As Amick details, it’s clear to people around the league that Butler’s preferred landing spot is Phoenix, and the Suns have reportedly been the most aggressive team in pursuit of the 35-year-old. But Bradley Beal‘s maximum-salary contract and no-trade clause continue to hold up a possible deal.
Here are a few more rumors and notes from Miami:
- The Heat continue to actively discuss Butler trades, but they haven’t received any enticing offers yet, and unless that changes in the next week, the plan is for Butler to rejoin the team for next Friday’s contest vs. Denver, league sources tell Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Butler continues to work out with team staffers in Miami.
- In an interview with Dan Le Batard that was filmed weeks ago, prior to all of the Butler drama, Heat president Pat Riley said that while his approach differs from modern players, he still respects them (Twitter video link). However, he drew a distinction when it comes to honoring a contract and being a detriment to a team. “So as players, they have to render unto the Heat really what is theirs too,” Riley said as part of a larger quote (hat tip to Jackson and Chiang). “And while they go out there and they do these other things, you can’t shortcut it with us. So, I’ve actually explained this to players is that while you’re under contract to us, you do owe us something. Your Collective Bargaining Agreement contract says that, so don’t ever take that lightly. We have a very cooperative group of people. But yes, I feel like I owe and I have to render unto Micky [Arison] as my boss. I don’t do it in any other way other than with respect and I feel the same way about the players.”
- The Heat could position themselves to have maximum-salary cap room in the 2026 offseason, depending on what happens with Butler. While maximizing cap flexibility is a priority, the team is also open to adding a player on a multiyear contract in a Butler deal as long as that player is a “genuine difference-maker,” a source tells Jackson.
- Veteran forward/center Kevin Love will miss Thursday’s game in Utah due to personal reasons, the Heat announced. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out.
Fischer’s Latest: Butler, Grizzlies, Bucks, Suns, Beal, More
Exploring the Jimmy Butler situation in his latest Substack article for The Stein Line, Jake Fischer confirms that the Grizzlies and Bucks are among the teams that Butler’s camp has discouraged from trading for the Heat forward. Chris Haynes first reported that Memphis had been advised not to pursue Butler, while Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports later added that Milwaukee had received a similar message.
Fischer also confirms that the Suns clearly appear to be Butler’s preferred landing spot, not only because he wants to team up with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker but because team owner Mat Ishbia has established himself as a free spender who would presumably give Butler the sort of contract extension he’s seeking.
If Phoenix makes a move for Butler, it would have to include Bradley Beal, but the Suns have no desire to broach the subject with Beal – who has a no-trade clause – unless they’re able to figure out a multi-team scenario that could work. Miami reportedly has no interest in taking on the well-paid veteran guard and his no-trade clause.
“You can’t bring anything to Brad unless there’s a deal on the table,” a veteran Eastern Conference executive told Fischer. “You can’t lose him until you know you’re going to move him.”
While they would like to land Butler, the Suns are also actively exploring other options on the trade market, gauging what sort of return they could acquire if they were to give up their 2031 first-round pick, which is their only tradable first-rounder, Fischer writes.
Here’s more from Fischer:
- Although the Suns‘ decision to remove Beal from their starting lineup has been widely viewed as an attempt to encourage him to waive his no-trade clause, sources tell Fischer the team is hoping the move to the second unit will “spark more of an aggressive output” from the guard as a “microwave scorer.” Of course, there’s no reason that both explanations can’t be true.
- The Grizzlies have made Luke Kennard, John Konchar, and draft capital available as they seek an upgrade on the trade market. But even if Butler were open to moving to Memphis, it’s unclear if the team would have an appetite for a bigger deal that would involve Marcus Smart and Brandon Clarke, according to Fischer, who hears from sources that the Grizzlies highly value both of those players.
- The Thunder and Kings opened up roster spots on Tuesday by waiving Branden Carlson and Orlando Robinson, respectively. Those roster spots may come in handy on the trade market, but if they’re still open after the deadline, Ajay Mitchell and Isaac Jones are worth monitoring as candidates to be promoted from two-way contracts, says Fischer.
Beal’s Agent: Waiving No-Trade Clause Not Being Discussed
Suns guard Bradley Beal and his agent Mark Bartelstein haven’t had any talks about waiving Beal’s no-trade clause to approve a deal to a new team, Bartelstein tells ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“There have been no discussions about trades with the Suns or any other team,” Bartelstein said. “Bradley’s total focus is on helping the Suns turn things around.”
As we outlined on Tuesday, Beal has been at the center of trade rumors as of late due to the reported mutual interest between the Suns and Heat forward Jimmy Butler, who is seeking a trade out of Miami. Phoenix is reportedly the only team willing to pay Butler the contract he wants and is believed to be the 35-year-old’s preferred landing spot.
Due to the Suns’ position relative to the second tax apron, they’re not permitted to aggregate salaries in a trade for Butler, meaning they would have to give up one of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, or Beal, all of whom have bigger cap hits than Butler’s $48.8MM figure.
Beal is the obvious choice of that trio from the Suns’ perspective, but his no-trade clause – one of just two in the NBA – complicates matters, as does his maximum-salary contract, which the Heat are reportedly unwilling to take on.
Phoenix has reportedly explored the market in search of a third team that would take on Beal, but any facilitator would have to be well compensated and the Suns, who would also have to incentivize Miami, don’t have many draft assets available to trade.
Speaking to Windhorst, Bartelstein didn’t rule out the possibility that Beal would waive his no-trade clause for a “perfect” situation, as he did when he was sent from Washington to Phoenix in 2023. But that isn’t currently under consideration.
It’s also worth reiterating that a no-trade clause doesn’t go away after a single trade — it covers a player’s entire contract unless he agrees to surrender it. Bartelstein tells Windhorst that his client wouldn’t be willing to give up that veto power before the end of the contract.
If Beal agreed to remove the no-trade clause from his contract upon being dealt, it might make a rival team more willing to roll the dice on him, since that club would have freedom to move him in a year or two. However, as long as Beal insists on hanging onto his NTC, it will make it that much more difficult for the Suns to find a taker.
Bradley Beal Discusses Move To Bench, Trade Rumors
Coming off the bench on Monday for the first time in nearly nine years, Bradley Beal led the Suns to their first victory since Christmas Day, scoring a team-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting in 30 minutes of action vs. Philadelphia.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Beal said he doesn’t consider himself a bench player, but made it clear he doesn’t intend to make waves by pushing back against head coach Mike Budenholzer‘s decision to make lineup changes.
“I’m a starter in the league. I firmly believe that,” Beal said, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “No disrespect to anybody, but I’m a starter and that’s what I firmly believe, but Coach made his decision. I’m not going to sit there and argue with him. I’m not going to sit here and be a distraction. I’m not going to sit here and be an a–hole. He made his decision. Got to live with it.”
Despite coming off the bench, Beal logged the third-most minutes among Suns players on Monday, behind only Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, which suggests that his workload may not change significantly even if he’s not one of Phoenix’s first five players on the court.
Ryan Dunn, the Suns’ talented rookie wing defender, stepped into the lineup in Beal’s place, and was lauded by his veteran teammate for how he handled the promotion, notes Rankin (Twitter video link).
“My first thought process was him,” Beal said. “He’s thrown in the fire and the mix of everything. He doesn’t really get to enjoy starting as a young rookie in the league. That’s big. Everybody is so caught up in my s–t and whatever is going on (with me). … I told him before the game, ‘Just lock in. Just be you. Keep playing the way you’ve been playing. You ain’t doing nothing wrong. Stay locked in and be you.’ And he did that and I’m so proud of him.”
Beal’s comment about the media focusing on “my s–t and whatever is going on” with him was presumably a reference not only to the fact that he came off the bench for the first time since March of 2016, but also to the trade rumors swirling around him.
Reports have continually linked Heat forward Jimmy Butler to the Suns, with Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link) citing executives who say that Butler’s camp has been strongly signaling that Phoenix is his “one desired destination.” Beal would almost certainly have to be included in any deal for Butler due to the Suns’ second-apron restrictions. Crucially, he’d also have to approve the deal, since he holds a no-trade clause.
“(The Suns) absolutely are trying to trade Bradley Beal,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during a First Take appearance on Tuesday (YouTube link). “… So they put him on the bench. Now you may say, ‘Why would you do that? If you’re trying to trade a player, why would you put him on the bench?’ And that’s because…the only way they can trade him is if he says, ‘I’m OK to be traded.’ So instead of trying to build him up, they have to violate the cardinal rule (of boosting a player’s trade value) and put him on the bench.
“Now I know that there were schematic reasons why they did it, and Mike Budenholzer tried to explain. But they’re basically trying to make him feel unwelcome in Phoenix so that he will waive that no-trade clause.”
While there’s a belief that Beal would sign off on a trade to Miami, the Heat reportedly have no interest in acquiring him due to his no-trade clause and the two years and $111MM left on his deal beyond this season. That means if the Suns want to land Butler, they’ll have to find a third team willing to take on Beal and his massive contract.
Asked after Monday’s game if he believes the demotion to the bench is related to a potential trade, Beal reminded reporters that he’ll have a say in that process.
“If so, I need to be addressed because I hold the cards,” Beal said, according to Rankin. “Until I’m addressed and somebody says something different, then I’ll be a Sun.”
Latest On Jimmy Butler
When word broke last Thursday that Jimmy Butler had informed the Heat he wants to be traded, a report from ESPN indicated that the star forward was open to playing anywhere besides Miami. However, it doesn’t sound as if Butler’s camp is sticking to that stance.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter video link), multiple teams – including the Grizzlies – have “received word” that Butler isn’t interested in joining them and have been advised not to pursue the 35-year-old. Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) has heard rumblings that the Bucks may also be included in that group.
Butler doesn’t have the ability to veto a trade, and the Heat will be seeking the deal that makes the most sense for the organization, so there’s nothing stopping Memphis or another team not on Butler’s list of preferred destinations from rolling the dice on him.
However, as Haynes observes, Butler’s ability to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end by declining his $52.4MM player option gives him some leverage. A potential suitor would be reluctant to sacrifice valuable assets for Butler without being reasonably confident that the six-time All-Star would be more than a rest-of-season rental — especially since the veteran has made it clear he’s willing to make things uncomfortable if he’s not happy.
The Suns, Warriors, Mavericks, and Rockets were reported last month to be the landing spots on Butler’s wish list. It’s unclear whether that list has expanded at all in recent weeks. As I wrote earlier today in our latest Front Office article, the Grizzlies are one team that would make sense as a fit, given the strength of their roster, their cap situation, their available trade assets, and their desire to add a defensive-minded wing.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst also provided an update on the Butler situation during Tuesday’s episode of First Take (Twitter video link). Noting that Butler has long conveyed his intent to become a free agent after this season, Windhorst says teams are hesitant to give up significant trade chips to acquire him, given his contract situation and salary expectations.
“Jimmy Butler isn’t going to extend with any team. And so because teams know that, they’re offering the Heat right now the pu-pu platter,” Windhorst said. “There is only one team that is ready to pay Jimmy Butler exactly what he wants, and that is the Phoenix Suns. And you know why that’s fascinating? Because of the 29 other teams that are out there that could trade for Jimmy Butler, the team that he wants to go to, which is Phoenix, is the team that has the hardest time trading for him.”
As we’ve discussed multiple times in recent weeks, there’s mutual interest between Butler and the Suns, but Phoenix would almost certainly have to send out Bradley Beal to acquire Butler due to the team’s second-apron restrictions.
Beal has a no-trade clause and is on a maximum-salary contract that is widely viewed as an albatross, given that he’s still owed nearly $111MM over two years after this season. The Heat reportedly have zero interest in acquiring the veteran guard, so a third team (that he’d be willing to go to) would be necessary, and the Suns likely lack the draft assets to incentivize both the Heat and that third team to make a deal.
“We’re at a genuine stalemate,” Windhorst continued. “I don’t know how it’s going to play out. The Heat are preparing internally for this to last past (Butler’s seven-game) suspension, not because they’ve got some sort of sinister motive, but because they know what offers they’ve gotten and they stink. And so that’s where we’re at now.”
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald confirms (via Twitter) that the Heat have yet to be presented with an offer for Butler that’s particularly tempting or that they’ve strongly considered.
Here are a few more Butler-related items:
- In a full story for The Herald, Jackson takes a look at why Butler’s escalation in pushing for a trade may not be in either his or Miami’s best interest.
- The Heat haven’t looked good in the first two games of Butler’s suspension — they were blown out at home by a lottery-bound Jazz team on Saturday and blew a 17-point fourth quarter lead against the Kings on Monday before losing in overtime. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes, Miami is now outside the top eight in the Eastern Conference and is increasingly at risk of an unwanted outcome with its traded first-round picks. If the Heat make the playoffs this season, they’d send the Thunder their 2025 first-rounder and would owe the Hornets their 2027 first-rounder with lottery protection, whereas missing the playoffs and keeping their 2025 pick would mean they owe Oklahoma City their 2026 pick and Charlotte their 2028 pick without protections. While it’s possible that latter scenario could ultimately work out for the best, it would increase the risk of the team having to give up a high first-rounder.
- Heat captain Bam Adebayo admitted that the Butler saga has been an “emotional roller coaster” for the team in recent days, as Winderman details in another Sun Sentinel story.
Jimmy Butler Rumors: Grizzlies, Bucks, Suns, Beal, Pistons
The Grizzlies and Bucks are among the teams having ongoing discussions about the possibility of a Jimmy Butler trade, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link).
Gambadoro notes that the Heat are exploring their options and weighing whether it makes more sense to trade Butler now or in the offseason via sign-and-trade (or possibly opt-in and trade).
Memphis has been a popular subject of speculation as a Butler destination in recent days, since the Grizzlies have a deep roster, all of their own draft picks, and multiple sizable contracts that are relatively team-friendly. They’re also known to be in the market for a defensive-minded wing, having been linked to Dorian Finney-Smith (before he was traded to the Lakers) and Cameron Johnson.
In a subscriber-only article, Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian explores what a Grizzlies trade for Butler might look like, though he cautions that he’s skeptical about the idea and refers to it as unlikely.
It would be more difficult for Milwaukee to make a move for Butler, since the Bucks are operating about $6.5MM over the second apron and don’t have a single player whose salary matches or exceeds Butler’s $48.8MM cap hit. The Bucks would only be permitted to aggregate salaries in a trade if they move below the second apron upon the conclusion of the transaction and leave themselves with enough room below the second apron to eventually get back to the required minimum of 14 players.
Based on my back-of-the-napkin math, that would likely mean starting with a package of Khris Middleton and MarJon Beauchamp and adding either Brook Lopez or – more likely – both Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton. A third-team facilitator would also be necessary, since the Heat can’t take back more salary than they send out. And all three teams would have to agree on draft-pick compensation.
Even if the Bucks could figure it out, it would mean giving up multiple key rotation players in exchange for one, further depleting their depth.
Here’s more on Butler:
- Bradley Beal‘s no-trade clause “looms large” in the Suns‘ pursuit of Butler, according to Gambadoro (Twitter link), who says he’s heard the veteran guard would approve a deal to the Heat, Nuggets, or Los Angeles (presumably either the Lakers or Clippers). Beal may also ultimately decide there are a few other destinations that would work for him, Gambadoro adds. Given his massive contract and declining production, any club Beal approves would seek significant sweeteners and would probably want him to remove his no-trade clause going forward. Miami has zero interest in him, per multiple reports.
- There has been some chatter about the idea of the Pistons taking on Beal in a trade that sends Butler to the Suns (and Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. to Miami), given Jaden Ivey‘s leg injury, Detroit’s cap room, and various connections – familial and otherwise – between the Pistons’ and Suns’ front offices. Gambadoro tweets that it doesn’t make much sense to him that the Pistons would want Beal unless they were heavily incentivized to take him, but says he needs to do more digging on that subject.
- Even if Beal were to waive his no-trade clause for Detroit (hardly a lock), I share Gambadoro’s skepticism about the appeal for the Pistons. While it’s true Detroit could use a short-term Ivey replacement, Beal’s maximum-salary contract is worth nearly $111MM across two more seasons beyond this one, and Phoenix probably doesn’t have enough tradable draft assets to sufficiently sweeten the pot for both the Heat and Pistons.
- In a SiriusXM NBA Radio appearance (Streamable audio link), Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel confirms that there are three- and four-team scenarios involving Butler and Beal being explored. Winderman also wonders if the Suns’ decision to remove Beal from their starting lineup is at least in part about nudging him to be more open about waiving his no-trade clause.