The Jimmy Butler drama in Miami might be ending soon, and the disgruntled star might land in his preferred destination of Phoenix. The question that I care about is—will the Detroit Pistons be involved?
Before yesterday, it seemed nearly impossible to believe that the Suns would be able to make any formulation of a deal that netted them Butler. They simply didn’t have the assets save for a far-off 2031 first-round pick. Bradley Beal, who also needs to be shipped in any Butler deal, is not an asset when you consider his $110 million price tag over the next two seasons.
Well, you know who might be interested in a far-off pick of a team that might be terrible by then? A franchise that is obsessed with future value and has too many first-round picks than they can conceivably use. That would be the Utah Jazz. They consolidated some of the bounty received in previous trades of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, trading their three worst upcoming first-rounders for the Phoenix lottery ticket.
Now that the Suns have three firsts to wheel and deal, that puts a Butler trade firmly back on the table.
Again, will the Pistons be involved?
I don’t see them as willing to swallow the Beal contract without getting a bevy of assets back, and that presumably wouldn’t leave anything left over for the Heat, who surely aren’t trying to give Butler away.
What the Pistons are likely aiming for is obtaining lesser picks and a rotation-level player by helping teams get under the second apron, which would give them more flexibility in a potential Butler trade.
The Pistons have $14 million in cap space and an open roster spot, so it makes dealing with Detroit extremely easy — if you make it worth their while.
Think of a team like the Milwaukee Bucks. They are cap constrained, are in an era where it only makes sense to contend considering the age of their roster and the desire to do everything possible for star Giannis Antetokounmpo. I could see them taking on either a Jimmy Butler or a Bradley Beal, but they need to make other moves to allow that to happen.
The Bucks are $6.5 million over the second apron, which means that they cannot take in more money than they send out, and they can’t aggregate multiple players into a single trade.
I’m sure Milwaukee would be eager to part with a Pat Connaughton to get under the second apron, for example. The Celtics are $7.6 million above the second apron but seem less eager to make a move. Minnesota is $16 million over the second apron, while the Suns are $28 million over. Hence the need to include Bradley Beal in any upcoming trade.
The Pistons don’t hold all the cards because they don’t want to just be a weigh station for the league’s worst contracts. They are looking to compete, and that means they are likely looking for something like “Tim Hardaway but a point guard.” Or “Tim Hardaway but a power forward.”
A useful player on an expiring contract that you take on while netting a couple second-rounders for your trouble.
The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 6. Let’s make a deal.