A six-time All-Star is now officially on the trade market. A week after reports were floating around that the Dallas Mavericks were among some teams sniffing around a potential trade with the Miami Heat for Jimmy Butler, Miami is now reportedly listening to offers.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, "The Heat are open to listening to offers for Butler and making a deal if the proposal is right, league sources told ESPN, and Butler's agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated in league circles that Butler is open to destinations such as two of the Texas teams (Houston Rockets andDallas Mavericks) and the Golden State Warriors."
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Charania would later continue, "Butler is a native of Houston, Texas. Above all, though, he is believed to prefer a win-now title contender in any trade. Teams have also been informed that Butler intends to opt out of his deal in the offseason and become a free agent, sources said. The Heat have hovered around the play-in tournament over the last two seasons, and with Butler's contractual status, they have been open-minded to trade inquiries."
Any trade between the Mavericks and Miami would be tough to negotiate for them to land Butler this season with his current price tag of nearly $48.9 million. Dallas would not make Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving available, obviously, but their three next highest-paid players are Klay Thompson ($15.8 million), PJ Washington ($15.5 million), and Daniel Gafford ($13.4 million), who still come up $4 million short of Butler's contract.
Washington seems unlikely to be placed in any trade talks for the Mavs, given how instrumental he's been to the team's success since they acquired him at last year's trade deadline. The same goes for Gafford, who gives Dallas a great center duo alongside Dereck Lively II.
Klay Thompson could become available in the offseason if his struggles continue, but it would be surprising to see them move him during the season. Dallas would probably like to include Maxi Kleber's $11 million salary in a trade like this, but it still puts them far away from getting to Butler's contract. Making any trade for Butler this season doesn't make sense contractually, and even less so when you consider the chemistry the team has built with how well they're playing.
Butler is averaging 19.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 4.8 APG this season, his lowest scoring output since the 2018-19 season with the Philadelphia 76ers. He's now 35 years old and hasn't played 65 games (the cutoff for awards such as All-NBA teams) since that 2018-19 season or made an All-Star Game since 2022.
The Rockets or Warriors could make more sense if a move is made during the season, as both of those teams have a lot of depth and a willingness to add a star to their lineup. Houston could offer Steven Adams, Dillon Brooks, and first-round pick Reed Sheppard to match Butler's salary, while Golden State could offer Andrew Wiggins, De'Anthony Melton, Jonathan Kuminga, and Lindy Waters III and be in the ballpark.
For Dallas to have any chance of acquiring Butler, it would almost have to be during the next offseason if and when he opts out of his player option for next season.
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