Jimmy Butler Trade Rumors: 5 Teams That Could Trade For Him
Honorable Mentions
Charlotte Hornets:
As losers in three of their last four games, the Charlotte Hornets are slowly realizing their own limitations. Outside of Kemba Walker dropping 30 and Nicolas Batum‘s well-rounded production, this team is only situated fifth in the East because of how discombobulated the rest of the conference is.
Their 20-17 record isn’t anything to write home about, but trading for a legitimate star to pair with Kemba and Batum could change things. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is a superb defensive stopper, but hasn’t proven he can knock down a jump shot consistently, and Butler’s not too shabby on the defensive end either.
The question is, would a return of MKG, sixth man Jeremy Lamb, the underrated Frank Kaminsky and future draft considerations be enough to get Chicago to bite? More than likely, there would be better offers on the table.
Milwaukee Bucks:
As we already covered with our Paul Millsap trade scenarios, the best course of action for the Milwaukee Bucks is to be patient and wait for Khris Middleton to return, especially since he’s on the same timeline as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Malcolm Brogdon.
But there’s no question Jimmy Butler would be a massive upgrade at the 2, vaulting the young Bucks into another tier and accelerating the team’s rebuild timeline. Is that the end of the world considering how ready the Greek Freak and Parker have looked this season?
More than likely though, a package of a recovering Middleton, Rashad Vaughn and future draft picks wouldn’t be the best offer available, especially if Milwaukee was hesitant to add Brogdon to the equation.
Toronto Raptors:
If the Toronto Raptors wanted to, they might have the assets to put together a compelling offer for Butler. But if We The North fans balked at the idea of giving up Patrick Patterson, Norman Powell or Jonas Valanciunas to bring aboard a perfect fit like Paul Millsap, they might not see the point of adding Butler to a wing rotation that’s already good enough with DeMar DeRozan and DeMarre Carroll.
Carroll would be one potential centerpiece in such a trade, included in a package of something like Powell, Jakob Poeltl and both of Toronto’s 2017 first rounders. But that might not be enough for Chicago, and the Raptors LOVE Powell.
They also love Patterson and reportedly want to re-sign him, despite the fact that a Patterson-Poeltl-Terrence Ross package with draft picks thrown in might work for Chicago as an alternative. The Raptors need to make a blockbuster move to keep up with the Cavaliers, but that move is far more likely to be Millsap than Jimmy Butler.
New Orleans Pelicans:
The New Orleans Pelicans need to start adding superstar talent to their roster, and a Butler-Anthony Davis duo would certainly make them more appealing to free agents. But would spare parts and a promising rookie be enough to swindle Chicago into a deal?
For salary matching purposes, a deal would have to be something like Solomon Hill, Terrence Jones, Langston Galloway and rookie Buddy Hield, perhaps with a future first rounder thrown in as well. Are the Bulls THAT enticed by Hield to take on a whole new wing rotation?
This deal wouldn’t give the Bulls the point guard they need unless Tim Frazier replaced T-Jones, they’d be giving up Jerian Grant, and they’d honestly be better off holding out for a better offer elsewhere. The Pelicans should still try, but as you can see, their asset cupboard is probably too bare to get a deal done.