NBA rumors: Warriors the only reported Jimmy Butler suitor with realistic trade path
12/15/2024 11:31 AM
Every season there are a few stars around the NBA that are right at the center of trade rumors throughout the season until they end up actually getting dealt. That person this year is Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, who has been linked to a number of teams over the last few weeks, including the Golden State Warriors.
Now, it turns out that the Warriors may have the best chance among all of the rest of the teams to actually swing a deal for Butler, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
“League insiders continue to describe Golden State, as things currently stand, as the only team of the four most frequently mentioned as potential Butler suitors as having an interest in the 35-year-old that could eventually lead to some substantive trade talks,” Stein wrote. “Houston and Dallas have not registered tangible interest in a Butler trade pursuit while the aforementioned Suns could realistically only construct a workable offer for Butler if the Heat were willing to take on Bradley Beal. Miami, remember, had no shortage of reservations about Beal in the 2023 offseason and abruptly abandoned its interest in trading for him then, partly put off by the no-trade clause in Beal’s deal but also the sheer salary numbers involved.”
The Warriors have been linked to Butler for a long time and even reached out to the Heat about him this summer before they sent Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks, according to ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel. Now, the Warriors have a chance to snag Butler and add him to the roster as they look to make a push in the Western Conference.
This news comes on the heels of the Warriors adding point guard Dennis Schroder from the Brooklyn Nets for De’Anthony Melton and some second-round picks. Schroder gives the Warriors another reliable ball handler outside of Stephen Curry and someone that can run the offense and create shots for himself and others while Curry is on the bench.
The inclusion of Melton in that deal makes the Warriors’ path to acquiring Butler a little bit tougher. Melton’s expiring contract made him a very logical and admirable trade chip that an opposing team could take back in a deal without being on the books for next season and beyond, which is why the Nets took him back in the Schroder deal.
Regardless, the Warriors have the young pieces to entice the Heat to try and get a deal done over the next few months along with some draft picks. If the Warriors can get Butler to the Bay Area, they will finally have another secondary star next to Stephen Curry that would make them contenders in the Western Conference.
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