Nov 2, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) dribbles as Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) defends during the fourth quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Nov 2, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) dribbles as Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) defends during the fourth quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Reports surfaced on Tuesday that Jimmy Butler was open to a trade to a championship contender, though he would prefer to opt out of his contract this offseason and discuss deals then. Still, the Miami Heat are willing to listen to trade offers and Butler wants to land with the Dallas Mavericks, his hometown Houston Rockets, or the Golden State Warriors.
A few factors make this deal hard to do, with one NBA analyst saying the math simply doesn't make sense. NBA insider Jake Fischer recently did a video on Bleacher Report explaining why the deal would be hard to do.
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"I do not see the Dallas Mavericks as a potential landing spot for Jimmy Butler," Fischer started. "The fact that Jimmy recently against Dallas on November 24th showed out... went out and scored 33 points, posted nine rebounds and six assists, 11/17 shooting in that overtime win against Dallas. A lot of pro scouts around the league I talked to definitely pointed that out, as like, 'If Jimmy is trying to get to Dallas,' kind of thing... However, the math just doesn't work. Dallas has plenty of opportunity to get better this season. They absolutely can dangle and see what packages they can put together, starting with Maxi Kleber's $11 million salary, but outside of that, you really don't have a ton of other pieces that are not absolutely integral to Dallas' rotation and their championship run last season... You're not parting with Kyrie Irving. You're not parting with Klay Thompson... Outside of some unforeseen scenario where Maxi Kleber and a smaller salary can get you someone of a P.J. Washington or Daniel Gafford caliber of impact on this team, the Mavericks already made their big move [Thompson].
Dallas could aggregate some other salaries, but it's hard to imagine them putting P.J. Washington or Daniel Gafford on the table, given how vital they've become to the team's success, especially Washington, as the Mavs are 1-5 in games without him this season. And we all know how bad this team's center rotation had been for nearly a decade before they drafted Dereck Lively II and traded for Gafford.
If the Thompson acquisition doesn't work out, it seems like they would wait until the offseason to decide whether or not to move on. Dallas' General Manager Nico Harrison said during the Summer League they believed they were a "Klay Thompson away" from winning the NBA Finals last season, so it doesn't make much sense to move on after one shooting slump.
Butler is making over $48 million this season, and it would likely take four Mavericks' contracts to reach that number. For a team that had prided itself on its depth early on, it would be a bad move to blow it up for a 35-year-old former All-Star who misses 20 games per season.
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