NBA rumors: Rival teams still wonder if Bucks will make Jimmy Butler trade play
01/27/2025 02:47 PM
The Phoenix Suns have been the main team mentioned in Jimmy Butler trade talks, but there are others that could possibly make a play for him. The Milwaukee Bucks is one team that could surprise people, and some are wondering if they’ll make the move, according to Marc Stein.
“The Bucks still can’t trade for a player in Butler’s salary range unless/until they shed Pat Connaughton’s $9.4 million salary … or come up with a Butler trade construction that also ships out Connaughton,” Stein wrote. “Would the Heat, just to end this draining Butler saga ASAP, be willing to trade Butler for Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis? Neither player, crucially, has a contract that extends past 2025-26, which — as Jake Fischer explained Saturday in detail — is a huge priority for Miami.
“The Bucks, though, currently possess only one tradeable first-round pick (2031) and one tradeable second-rounder to sweeten any deal that involves Miami and/or a team to take on Connaughton.”
There have been trade scenarios that have come out that involve Khris Middleton and Boddy Portis going to different teams, and the Bucks either getting Butler or Bradley Beal, if the Suns are a part of the deal. The Bucks want to get better, and Butler will help them in that department, but it’s uncertain if they’ll actually do something.
Could Jimmy Butler make sense on the Bucks?
It’s obvious that whatever team trades for Jimmy Butler, he doesn’t plan on being the No. 1 option. If he goes to the Bucks, he’ll most likely be the third option, and that’s a role that could fit him well alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Khris Middleton has taken a step back this season due to slowly coming back from his ankle surgeries in the offseason, and head coach Doc Rivers elected for him to come off the bench. With no true third option for the team, they may be looking to move away from Middleton and get someone who can put them over the top.
In any trade involving Butler, it’s going to take a lot for it to happen. It also means that the Heat will have to be okay with whatever they get in return, and if it will help their team in the future.
As of now, it’s very uncertain where Butler will end up before the trade deadline, and there’s a chance that he’s still with the Heat until the end of the season.
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