The ongoing Jimmy Butler trade saga surrounding the Miami Heat could lead to the franchise taking desperate measures to part ways with their six-time All-Star and 2023 Eastern Conference Finals MVP prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
Following Butler’s recent remarks made in a press conference where he claimed that he’d lost his joy for the game of basketball, the franchise was forced to release a formal statement to let the rest of the league know they’d be listening to all offers for the two-way superstar.
With this in mind, every contending team will throw their hat into the ring to potentially acquire the 35-year-old, as his averages of 17.6 points on a career-best 55.2% shooting from the field paired with his 114 defensive rating per 100 possessions indicate that Butler still has plenty left in the tank.
As one of the greatest playoff performers in recent memory, Butler led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances this decade. With the trade deadline approaching, his reputation as the ultimate floor-raiser will lead to plenty of intriguing offers from prospective teams.
In fact, new reports point to a team that Butler and the Heat defeated on the way to both of their recent appearances in the championship series, the Milwaukee Bucks, becoming a likely trade suitor.
“Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, and Pat Connaughton gets you to $53.6M in total,” ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel shared via Twitter/X on Monday evening.
“The magic number for Butler and MIL would be $55.3M to dip below the second apron.”
“Throw in MarJon Beauchamp as an outgoing salary and you got yourself a scenario where Butler to MIL can happen.”
Butler landing with the Bucks could take some time to get used to, but the franchise could surely be the best partner in facilitating a trade with Miami.
Milwaukee has both the contracts to make salaries match and a young player like Beauchamp that the Heat could take a chance on going forward.
As well as some salary filler and raw prospects, the Heat would maintain status as a contending team by acquiring both Middleton and Portis, as both players won an NBA title with Milwaukee in 2021.
Individually, Portis could be the centerpiece of the deal for the Heat. The 29-year-old frontcourt scorer has turned into one of the league’s most consistent reserves, evidenced by his third-place finish in Sixth Man of the Year voting for the past two consecutive seasons.
In 12 appearances for Milwaukee after returning from injury, Middleton is also contributing 12.7 points and 5.0 assists while connecting on 40.4% of his attempts from three-point range.
The three-time All-Star could provide a solid scoring punch for the Heat as the second option to Tyler Herro if a deal were to occur.
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