Jimmy Butler could be on the move.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported earlier in the week that the Heat are listening to offers for Butler, and his preferred teams are the Rockets, Mavericks and Warriors. The NBA insider later added the Suns as a potential destination, followed by Brian Lewis of the New York Post reporting that the Nets remain Butler’s top choice.
Butler’s preference is important because, according to Charania, he will opt out of the $52.4 million remaining on his contract this summer to pursue a longer-term deal. Any team that trades for him would almost certainly want to re-sign him to prevent him from going to a new team after only a few months.
From the Nets to the Warriors, here are the best landing spots for Butler based on the teams linked to him.
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Ranking best Jimmy Butler trade destinations
5. Nets
Butler’s preferred choice is the Nets, according to a source close to Butler who spoke with Lewis. Getting there via trade seems unlikely.
The Nets have a ton of picks and tradeable players they could use in a Butler deal. They’re also one of few teams with enough cap space to sign him as a free agent. That cap space makes a trade unlikely. It simply wouldn’t make sense for Brooklyn to give up quality young players in exchange for Butler because it could sign him outright this summer.
The Nets are also not in a position to make the most of Butler’s skills. They’re a middling team in the East, with the potential to try and tank for a good pick in a loaded 2025 NBA Draft. The trade winds indicate that they’d be looking to go the other way, trading off talent to make the foundation of their rebuild even stronger.
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4. Suns
A Suns trade would be extremely tricky to pull off. They’re above the second apron, so they couldn’t take back salary in a deal. The only piece that could be used in a Butler trade (aside from Devin Booker or Kevin Durant, which ain’t happening) is Bradley Beal.
Keith Smith of Spotrac outlined how that deal would work: Beal would get moved to the Heat in exchange for Butler and a minimum-salaried player.
The first issue in this trade is that Beal has a no-trade clause in his contract. Would he want to be a part of a retool in Miami?
Additionally, the Heat probably wouldn’t want Beal on his current contract. The Suns would have to throw in their only draft equity — a 2031 first-round pick. That wouldn’t be enough incentive to take on the rest of Beal’s contract.
Too much would need to happen for this trade to work, making it extremely unlikely.
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3. Mavericks
The Mavericks do have a little bit of financial wiggle room to make a trade for a player like Butler. They could combine P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Maxi Kleber, Quentin Grimes and Dwight Powell in a trade, as outlined by Smith. They have up to two first-rounders they could throw in as well.
The fit for the Mavericks wouldn’t be amazing. Butler needs the ball in his hands to be at his best, and they obviously already have Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in that role. Dallas would also lose all of its depth and might be a worse-off team after this deal despite Butler’s high talent level. Weak links have become much more important in today’s NBA, and there would be a lot of them after trading away so many rotation players.
The Mavs would probably say no to this deal.
2. Rockets
The Rockets have the most financial flexibility of any of these teams to get a deal done. They don’t have cap issues, they have a ton of young promising players to trade and they have four picks they could move.
Do they want a player like Butler, though? He’s 35 years old. While the Rockets are one of the top teams in the West, they’d ideally get someone younger to fit alongside their core.
“Team sources say it’s highly unlikely they’ll pursue the 35-year-old, six-time All-Star from nearby Tomball, Texas,” Sam Amick wrote for The Athletic as the Butler rumors began to percolate. “There’s still an aversion to the prospect of adding any star in his mid-to-late 30s.”
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1. Warriors
The Warriors aren’t a championship team as currently constructed. They do have an avenue to get there. Stephen Curry is still playing like an All-NBA player, and they need one more guy. They’ve looked at Butler before. Now could be the time to get that deal done.
Butler could give Golden State a badly-needed second scorer and a more reliable player than Jonathan Kuminga, who would likely have to be outgoing in any significant trade.
In addition to a nice prospect in Kuminga, the Warriors have up to three picks they could move. They have the pieces to get a deal done both in terms of salary and assets, and they certainly have the need.
The Heat have never been interested in bottoming out during the Pat Riley era, and that probably isn’t changing as the executive turns 80 in March. A trade with the Warriors could bring back some solid veterans that could keep the team afloat while replenishing that draft stash and getting Kuminga in the door.
If the Heat do shop Butler, the Warriors are the partner that makes the most sense.
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