Four teams have been identified as potential suitors in trade talks for Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler. At this point, the Kings are not one of them, but all four scenarios could affect Sacramento’s chances of making the playoffs in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.
Miami is reportedly willing to trade Butler if the offer is right. Butler, a 35-year-old six-time All-Star, is believed to prefer a win-now situation. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has expressed in league circles that his client is open to the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns.
All four teams reside in the West and all four are ahead of Sacramento in the standings. The West would only get stronger if Butler joins a playoff contender.
Butler is averaging 19.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals in his 14th season since coming out of Marquette as the 30th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. He is shooting a career-high 55.7% from the field and 36% from 3-point range.
The Rockets (16-8) are third in the Western Conference. The Mavericks (16-9) are fourth, the Warriors (14-9) are fifth and the Suns (12-11) are 10th.
The Kings (12-13) are 12th in the West, two games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 6 seed and one game behind the Suns for the final play-in berth. The Kings have won three of four going into Thursday’s game against the injury plagued New Orleans Pelicans.
The Kings have two games remaining against the Suns and Rockets, three against the Mavericks and four against the Warriors. Sacramento is 2-0 against Phoenix and 1-0 against Houston, needing one more victory to win the season series and a potential tiebreaker against those two teams.
Butler is still an integral part of a Miami team that is fifth in the Eastern Conference, but he is in the second year of a four-year, $146.4 million contract with a player option for next season. Butler reportedly plans to opt out this summer. The Heat could lose him without compensation if he chooses to become a free agent.
The Rockets, Mavericks, Warriors and Suns would all be formidable with the addition of Butler. To get a deal done, they would have to part with multiple first-round draft picks and enough players to match Butler’s $48.8 million salary.