Both sides are angry in the Jimmy Butler standoff, but that doesn’t guarantee that he’ll be traded by the February 6 deadline, according to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Butler’s comments after Thursday’s game about hoping to “get my joy back from playing basketball” came after a conversation earlier in the day between his representatives and Heat officials, sources tell the authors. Butler was upset because he and his agent believed the team was implying he didn’t play hard in Wednesday’s game against New Orleans, which he finished with nine points and four rebounds in 25 minutes as he returned to the lineup after missing five games with an illness.
Team representatives contend Thursday’s meeting was a “macro level discussion” that addressed concerns over Butler’s behavior as trade rumors have intensified over the last few weeks.
Butler and his agent are claiming that the team threatened to suspend him after the Pelicans game, Jackson tweets, but Heat officials deny that ever happened.
With Butler’s future in Miami almost guaranteed to end following this season, if not earlier, Jackson and Chiang see three potential resolutions. The most immediate is a trade before next month’s deadline, but the authors point out problems with each of Butler’s preferred destinations.
If he’s sent to the Warriors, Miami would almost certainly have to take back Andrew Wiggins‘ contract, paying him $28.2MM and $30.2MM over the next two years. Jackson and Chiang note that the Heat’s projected tax bill of more than $15MM comes in part from giving large salaries to Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier. Another big contract for a non-All Star would worsen the team’s financial position, with Bam Adebayo on a max deal and Tyler Herro averaging $30MM per season.
The same issue exists with the Suns, as the authors state that Miami has “no interest” in taking on Bradley Beal, who is still owed $160MM. However, they believe the equation could change if Kevin Durant decides to ask out of Phoenix amid a disappointing start to the season.
Butler has also reportedly expressed a desire to join the Rockets or Mavericks, but Jackson and Chiang note that Houston has denied interest in taking on older players, while Dallas doesn’t have enough trade assets to interest Miami.
The Nuggets could emerge as another possibility by offering Michael Porter Jr., the authors state. However, they caution that he has also never been an All-Star and is owed $38.3MM and $40.8MM over the next two seasons. A third team would be necessary to complete most of these deals, but Detroit at $14MM is currently the only option with cap space.
Butler could also be traded this summer, either by picking up his $52.4MM player option or declining it and working with the team on a sign-and-trade. The issue there would be that most teams aren’t in position to absorb Butler’s salary outright and would have to send out contracts in order to accommodate him.
If Miami isn’t interested in what Butler’s suitors have to offer, a third or fourth team might be necessary to take on that unwanted salary. Jackson and Chiang project that up to 11 teams are in position to create cap room during the offseason to help facilitate a trade.
If Miami could trade Butler without taking back salary in return, it would leave the team with a trade exception equal to whatever Butler will be making in the first season of his new contract, along with a non-taxpayer mid-level exception worth $14.1MM and the $5.1MM bi-annual exception. They would have 10 players under contract — possibly 11 if Keshad Johnson exercises his $1.9MM player option — at a total cost of about $141MM, roughly $13.6MM below the projected salary cap.
The final option is for Butler to sign elsewhere in free agency, but the authors consider that less likely because only Brooklyn currently projects to have enough cap room to offer a deal in his desired salary range without the Heat’s help.