The Miami Heat don’t want to wait around to trade Jimmy Butler. They want to do it … yesterday.
At least, that seems to be the word of ESPN insider Shams Charania, who said Miami is looking to trade Butler “as soon as possible.” All of this stems from Butler requesting a trade and the Heat’s ensuing seven-game suspension of the star forward.
“The situation around the Heat with Jimmy Butler there had become unmanageable … the goal right now is to move Butler as soon as possible,” Charania said on SportsCenter. “And I’m told the Heat have spoken with teams as of Friday about Butler trades.”
The Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets are teams that previously have been linked to a possible trade. The San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans could also have an interest, sources told Hoops Wire.
But a Butler trade will be complicated as the Heat are an apron team, meaning they can’t take back more salary than they send out. Some suspect it may take three teams to put Butler on the move before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
In other words, interested parties likely will have to get creative to acquire Butler. Already, the Warriors and Suns have pretty much been ruled out because of salary concerns. It’s been reported, for instance, that the Heat aren’t interested in the contract of Suns shooting guard Bradley Beal. And that’s about all Phoenix could offer.
Butler, 35, likely wouldn’t move the needle much for a Warriors team that is treading water, either. So while the Heat want to move Butler immediately, it won’t be easy. It may not happen at all, in fact.
Butler is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, further complicating potential trades.
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