Shams: Jimmy Butler open to being traded to Rockets Mavericks or Warriors

That escalated quickly.

 

Jimmy Butler is exhibiting clown behavior…he will probably get a pass from the media tho

 

Pat Riley is the Don!

Jimmy Butler might not live to see tomorrow. It’s Pacino **** going on there.

 

Riley said, ok talk your ****. Let me take my sweet time trying to trade you while you get no money.

 

I’d love Butler here. I’m protecting any first round pics that go out in the trade, but I would love to make a move to let us have an outside shot this year of getting to the conference finals.

Adams/Tate/Holiday/Landale/Uncle Jeff/2025 Suns FRP top 18 protected/and then another first round pick that is top 15 protected.

 

I really don't like Butler as a player and I didn't want him here before. But given the current situation, and their inability to trade him earlier in the year...the price has to be really really low, right? Like crazy low? I wouldn't be against adding Butler if we could somehow make it work by sending out a bunch of junk plus pick(s). Anyone good with trades and the CBA that can put together a reasonable package for him that doesn't involve us sending out any good pieces? Or is that even possible/realistic?

 

This Shams saying FU

 

do we think Butler could teach Alpi how to have bad attitude?

 

I think he ends up in Golden State. Only place that makes sense imo.

 

Bari going down for a couple months changes my thoughts on this a little bit. I still wouldn't pay much, but depending on the price, a rental just to protect the season and give ourselves a fighting chance at going deeper into the playoffs might not be such a horrible thought

 

lol.

first lesson: stop saying “I’m so hiapppyy huston ”

 

exactly

 

Playoff Jimmy is special but his age, and likely high trade cost. does not fit well with the timeline of our other players. However if we got him for cheap…..then yeah go for it.

 

ive never wanted Tomball Jimmy bc of his diva behavior... but if they want a poopoo platter of Adams, Landale, Tate or whatever other irrelevance... sure. lol! Idk how much draft capital id be willing to attach for a 35 yo diva...

 

Spoiler

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/st...-butler-preferred-trade-destinations-land-him

Three out of the four teams on Butler's preferred list -- Dallas, Golden State and Phoenix -- would need to trade a quarter of their roster. The Suns meanwhile, would need to have Bradley Beal waive his no trade clause. Sources told ESPN that the Heat have no desire to take back the $110 million owed to Beal and that Phoenix would need to find a third team to get involved to make a deal work. The Warriors and Mavericks would also likely need to find a third or fourth team to reroute some of the contracts sent out. The Heat also are not allowed to take back more salary, because they are an apron team.

Why four teams face an uphill climb in acquiring him

Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks have been aggressive during the regular season, trading for Kyrie Irving, PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford in consecutive trade deadlines.

Trading for Butler, however, would present GM Nico Harrison with his biggest challenge.

Because Dallas overhauled their roster once again, adding Klay Thompson, Naji Marshalland Quentin Grimes in the offseason, they are not allowed to take back more than $526K of salary in a trade than what is sent out.

The Mavericks do have five players earning between $8.6 million and $15.5 million, but because of the size of Butler's salary and the apron restriction, Dallas would need to send out a minimum of three players. -- Marks

One trade that works

Mavericks get: Jimmy Butler
Heat get: Brandon Ingram, Naji Marshall, Daniel Theis
Pelicans get: Daniel Gafford, Dwight Powell, Klay Thompson
Pistons get: Maxi Kleber, 2025 DAL 1 (top-14 protected)

This is the most complicated trade, requiring four teams to allow the three with tax or apron concerns to avoid adding salary. The upshot here is Dallas turning role players into Butler, Miami getting back Ingram as a younger -- and possibly cheaper -- replacement, and New Orleans saving money and rebalancing its rotation with a starting center and one of the great shooters in NBA history. Detroit uses its cap space to take on Kleber's contract, which runs through 2025-26. -- Kevin Pelton

Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are in a similar position to Dallas. Golden State added Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and De'Anthony Melton in the offseason, thus triggering the first apron hard cap. (Melton was then sent to Brooklyn for Dennis Schroder.) Because of the restriction, Golden State is not allowed to take back more than $330K in salary sent.

The Warriors do have the contracts to make a Butler trade and still remain below the hard cap. Including Andrew Wiggins' $26.3 million salary, Golden State has seven players earning between $5.8 million to $13 million. Four of those players -- Schroder, Gary Payton II, Kevon Looney and Jonathan Kuminga -- are on expiring contracts. To take back the Butler salary, the Warriors would need to send out at least four players and remain under the first apron after their roster is filled out. -- Marks

One trade that works

Warriors get: Jimmy Butler
Heat get: Kyle Anderson, Gary Payton II, Andrew Wiggins, 2025 Warriors first-round pick (top-4 protected), 2028 Warriors first-round pick
Pistons get: Kevon Looney, 2026 Lakers second-round pick (via Heat)

Golden State can choose from a variety of trade options, including moving Jonathan Kuminga and newly extended Moses Moody. The Warriors could also choose to deal the recently acquired Schroder, so long as a deal is completed at the trade deadline or the day before. From a financial standpoint, Miami probably would be best off prioritizing shorter contracts around Wiggins as a Butler replacement. That means most of the value to the Heat here is in two first-round picks, though they have to give up a second-rounder to shed Looney's salary and make this trade legal. -- Pelton

Houston Rockets
Houston best checks the boxes of financial flexibility, tradable contracts and draft assets of Butler's preferred teams. Rockets GM Rafael Stone, however, said he anticipates no changes to the roster.

"We definitely want this group to be as good as it can be this year and then we'll evaluate things at the end of the year," Stone told SiriusXM radio last week. "But the hope is very much that this core group can lead us to where we want to go and that -- from a transactional perspective -- we're largely done." But what happens if Stone can acquire Butler without giving up any young players? -- Marks

One trade that works

Rockets get: Jimmy Butler
Heat get: Steven Adams, Dillon Brooks, Jeff Green, 2027 first-round pick (worse of Brooklyn and Houston), 2029 first-round pick (second-best of Dallas, Houston and Phoenix)

In terms of money, this is the cleanest fit for Miami, which would cut its salary about $6 million this season and even more in 2025-26, when Adams and Green are both free agents. That leaves the Heat with Brooks as a defensive-minded replacement for Butler, plus the two extra first-round picks. Houston would upgrade from Brooks to Butler without giving up any other core players, albeit at the expense of future flexibility. -- Pelton

Phoenix Suns
The Suns are over the second apron and are not allowed to aggregate the contracts of Grayson Allen, Jusuf Nurkic and Josh Okogie in a Butler trade. Because of this restriction, the only contract that matches is Bradley Beal (the Suns are not trading Kevin Durant or Devin Booker).

The Suns trading for Butler comes down to two things:

• Beal would need to waive his no-trade clause, and
• Miami would need to take back the $110 million owed to Beal after this season or find a third team willing to take on Beal

The money left on the Beal contract, plus the Suns' lack of draft assets (they have only a 2031 first-round pick to trade) make a trade to Phoenix highly unlikely.

Instead of taking on the money owed to Beal, the Heat would be better off extending Butler or working out a trade on their terms this summer. -- Marks

One trade that works

Suns get: Jimmy Butler
Heat get: Bradley Beal, 2031 Suns first-round pick, 2031 Suns second-round pick, 2026 and 2031 Nuggets second-round picks (via Suns)
76ers get: Alec Burks
This is basically everything Phoenix can trade for Butler. Burks must be included so Miami doesn't add salary in this trade and trigger a hard cap at the first apron. The Suns probably would rather not add substantially to their tax bill to take back Burks, who could help Philadelphia with veteran guards Eric Gordon and Kyle Lowry in and out of the 76ers' rotation. -- Pelton

Two wild-card teams with realistic paths to a Butler trade

Denver Nuggets
Denver getting involved in trading for Butler comes down to how much it values 26-year old wing Michael Porter Jr.

Because the Nuggets cannot trade Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray (both signed extensions in the offseason), Porter's $35.9 million salary is their biggest trade chip. The lone draft asset Denver has is a pick swap in 2031.

Porter has two years remaining ($38.3 and $40.8 million) after this season and is averaging 18.9 points, second highest on the team behind Nikola Jokic.

The Nuggets are $5.1 million below the second apron and are not allowed to take back more money in a trade. They are allowed to aggregate contracts if they remain below the threshold. -- Marks

One trade that works

Nuggets get: Jimmy Butler
Heat get: Zeke Nnaji, Michael Porter Jr., 2026 first-round swap, 2031 first-round swap
Pistons get: Dario Saric

Note: The Nuggets can swap their 2026 first, but only if their 2025 first to Denver is conveyed this year.

Denver has no tradable draft picks and could only offer Miami swaps to go from Butler to Porter and take on the contract of Nnaji, who has played just 79 total minutes this season and is signed through 2027-28. That sounds like a hard sell to the Heat. -- Pelton

San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are competing for a spot in the play-in, and trading for Butler accelerates the timeline around Victor Wembanyama. It could also stunt the development of the third-youngest roster in the NBA.

San Antonio has the contracts, draft picks and is well positioned financially to take back Butler in a trade. Because it is well below the apron, San Antonio would only need to send out $40 million in contracts. Not including Wembanyama, the Spurs have seven players earning between $9 million and $30 million.
Over the next seven years, the Spurs have 12 first-rounders and 19 second-rounders available to trade. -- Marks

One trade that works

Spurs get: Jimmy Butler
Heat get: Harrison Barnes, Malaki Branham, Keldon Johnson, 2025 first-round pick (worst of Atlanta, Charlotte top-14 protected, Chicago top-10 protected and San Antonio)

Since Miami likely would not be interested in taking back Zach Collins' contract, San Antonio probably would have to include both Barnes and Johnson in any Butler trade offer. It's possible both could start at forward for the Heat, and Johnson (age 25) could be a long-term contributor in Miami. The Spurs probably don't need to include multiple first-round picks because the one they're sending is likely to be in the teens in June's draft. -- Pelton

 

Hopefully he and Draymond try to beat the hell out of each other.

 

Lol that would be fun

 

random trade thread dude