Jimmy Butler is waiting for the Miami Heat to find the ideal partner to discuss a trade after the forward requested a trade. Many are already wondering what will happen if a trade isn’t found before the February 6 deadline, especially with multiple teams reportedly being ruled out due to Butler’s contract status.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green commented on what’s going on and said that the relationship between Butler and the Heat is too far gone to be repaired. He added that the player will either get traded or be held out of the roster for the remainder of the season if a trade isn’t found.
“I could see two things happening. I could see Pat Riley sending Jimmy Butler to an organization that he absolutely hates, that’s garbage, I could also see Pat Riley saying, ‘Hey, go home for the rest of the year. Just go home. We’ll pay you, that’s fine. We’re not trading you anywhere.’ I could see that scenario as well. The scenario I don’t see, I don’t see it just playing out with Jimmy back in the good graces with them, and Jimmy just being who Jimmy is. I don’t see that. I think it’s too far past gone.”
Butler made an official trade request last week with commenters to the media indicating he wants to play anywhere except Miami. This led to a seven-game suspension by the franchise afterward which has further hurt the relationship between the parties. An amicable return to the court seems out of the question and so does a long-term contract extension.
Multiple teams are hovering over the Heat for a Butler trade, but no team has matched the level of aggression shown by the Phoenix Suns. That’s unfortunate for Miami, as the Suns arguably have the worst assets of all 30 teams in the NBA. If they can somehow flip Bradley Beal for positive assets, they could have a shot at landing Butler in a three-team deal.
Beal has a no-trade clause, so the Suns can’t trade him unless he agrees to the deal. He casually reminded the Suns’ front office of this fact in media comments as well, so it seems Butler coming to Phoenix has a lot of steps before it can be a reality.
Outside Phoenix, it doesn’t seem like most teams are pursuing Butler aggressively. The Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets have been linked with Butler but it doesn’t look like either franchise is going to overhaul their roster to make space for Butler’s $48.7 million contract and potential max extension.
The Warriors have been discussed as a potential partner as well, but the franchise has been notoriously passive in making win-now trades to help Stephen Curry. The Suns are willing to do everything they can to ensure they get Butler and that Butler is happy with them, but if the Warriors get involved, they could easily outbid Phoenix for Butler.
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