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Jimmy Butler III #10 of the Golden State Warriors was a fixture n the NBA trade rumor mill.<\/p>\n
The NBA trade rumor mill was at full throttle a month ago, and one of the chief names to be bandied about was that of forward Jimmy Butler, the Warriors\u2019 star forward who tore his ACL in January and will miss at least two months of the season.<\/p>\n
Butler had some reason for being on the market. He has a $57 million expiring contract<\/a> this year, which could be of value to a team seeking to unload payroll. He also plays for the Warriors, a team with 38-year-old Stephen Curry at the top of the roster. The Warriors need to take full advantage of the time Curry has left, and nursing Butler back to health next season is not part of that plan.<\/p>\n Plus, there is the issue of whether the team will keep Butler around at all after next season. He can\u2019t sign an extension until next February, and it is unlikely the Warriors will want to commit at that point.<\/p>\n Additionally, the Warriors have three first-round draft picks they could attach to Butler\u2019s contract to make an attractive offer. But it\u2019s not that simple.<\/p>\n NBA Trade Rumors: Jimmy Butler Deal \u2018Not Easy\u2019<\/p>\n The fact is, no one really wanted Butler. An NBA executive explained why:<\/p>\n \u201cI think a lot of people looked at it and said he has the (expiring) contract, they have picks, they can just put it together and get a star\u2013Anthony Davis was the big one but it could be anyone with a max contract. But if you\u2019re the team taking a guy back, what are you going to do with Jimmy Butler? He is probably not going to play for you by the time he comes back from the knee.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it is not easy like that. The draft has changed. You can be relegated if your record is bad\u2013no one is tanking anymore and trading for a guy with an ACL is a move for when you\u2019re tanking. Plus, Jimmy is going to want a contract. So, yes, you might get the picks from the Warriors and two or three years ago, that would be something you would do. But not now.\u201d<\/p>\n Tyler Herro Gets Real on Extension<\/p>\n It would not be wise for new Bucks guard Tyler Herro to seek an extension from the team this summer, though he is eligible and is in the final year of his contract. But his value is also at about as low a point as it could be, as a trade chip and a free agent. He should want to wait, rebuild his value and go from there.<\/p>\n Herro said as much this weekend. He does not want his contract to be an issue going into a critical year in which he either re-establishes himself as a second-tier star or becomes an injury-prone midlevel role player.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not really worried about it right now,\u201d he said, via the Associated Press<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s a new slate for me, for the coaches, really for the organization as a whole. I don\u2019t think that needs to be a burden over anyone\u2019s shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n Issues That Need Resolution This Summer<\/p>\n Jonathan Kuminga. Kuminga is likely stuck. There is still time for Kuminga to land a sign-and-trade deal this summer, and maybe something will materialize with the Lakers (unlikely), the Cavaliers<\/a> (more likely, but still slim) or the Bucks (probably his best bet). Kuminga should just pull in a one-year deal, on a minimum or with some part of an midlevel exception, show he is worth a long-term commitment, and try again in free agency next year.<\/p>\n Lakers forward. One reason that Kuminga is still a prominent feature on the market is that there have been multiple times he has appeared certain to join the Lakers. But he passed on a credible offer to sign in LA and there isn\u2019t much appetite for the Lakers\u2019 assets in a sign-and-trade. So nothing has come to fruition. Other options (PJ Washington, De\u2019Andre Hunter<\/a>) appear to be fantasies, too. Could the Lakers just keep Jarred Vanderbilt<\/a> and give him one last chance as the starting PF? There are not many viable options.<\/p>\n DeMar DeRozan<\/a>. DeRozan got a buyout from the Kings, but has not picked his next destination yet. The Wizards<\/a> (?) are the latest contender, but he is a possibility for Miami, Cleveland, Denver, Washington, or a dark horse, as well. (Brooklyn is our vote.)<\/p>\n Kawhi Leonard<\/a> trade. We are well into August now and there is no end in sight for the Leonard\/Aspiration saga. Training camp is in a little more than a month, and the Michael Grange report does create some hope that this will be decided by then.<\/p>\n GettyDeMar DeRozan<\/p>\n NBA Trade Rumors: Big Board Starts With Guards<\/p>\n Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers. (Remaining contract four years, $90 million.) Sharpe averaged 20.8 points last season, but he is not a high-efficiency guard, and that will hurt his value on the market. Portland is not looking to thin out its guard logjam\u2013yet. But that figures to change, with Sharpe likely the one to move.<\/p>\n Jordan Hawkins<\/a>, Pelicans. (Remaining contract: one year, $7 million.)\u00a0 Hawkins never lived up to his lottery billing after his impressive UConn tournament run in 2023, so the fact that he is on the trade block is probably not exactly newsworthy. Still only 24, but he is a career 37.4% shooter.<\/p>\n Ty Jerome<\/a>, Grizzlies. (Remaining contract: two years, $19 million, including player option.) Jerome took advantage of the mess in Memphis last year and\u00a0 averaged 19.7 points, shooting 42.0% from the 3-point line. The Grizzlies will need to thin out their roster, and the 29-year-old Jerome really does not fit here. He would have good value if Memphis wants to flip him for future assets.<\/p>\n Dennis Schroder<\/a>, Cavaliers. (Remaining contract: one year, $14.6 million.) Schroder has played for 11 teams in the NBA so far, and the Cavs would be open to making it 12 as they seek to duck the second apron and still stay in the contending picture.<\/p>\n Dalton Knecht<\/a>, Lakers. (Remaining contract: two years, $10 million, including two teams options.) Knecht showed some promise as a rookie but fell off in Year 2 and is now a contract filler in a potential trade. It has been surprising that no team has been willing to gamble on his upside\u2013he is only 25.<\/p>\n NBA Trade Rumors: Wings Who Could Still Move<\/p>\n Max Strus<\/a>, Cavaliers. (Remaining contract: one year, $16 million.) The Cavs are trying hard to fit everything under the second apron, and that could mean moving off Strus, if they can find a taker.<\/p>\n Moses Moody<\/a>, Warriors. (Remaining contract: two years, $26 million.) Moody is potentially going to be ready for the start of the season, and is said to be staying put. But if the Warriors do anything trade-wise this summer, speculation holds it will involve Moody.<\/p>\n Trey Murphy<\/a>, Pelicans<\/a>. (Remaining contract: three years, $88 million.) There have been rumblings that the Pelicans would deal Murphy, and equal rumblings have indicated they won\u2019t. Murphy is a favorite in NBA trade rumors, but New Orleans is slow-playing any potential trade.<\/p>\n Saddiq Bey<\/a>, Pelicans. (Remaining contract: one year, $6.5 million.) Bey came back with a strong season last year after tearing his ACL, averaging 17.7 points and shooting 45.1% from the field and 36.7% from the 3-point line. It was for a bad team, but he showed he still could be an adequate wing off someone\u2019s bench.<\/p>\n Patrick Williams<\/a>, Bulls<\/a>. (Remaining contract: three years, $54 million,) It would be symbolic and probably cathartic for fans to see Williams dumped as a new front office and coaching staff comes in. But Williams\u2019 contract is prohibitive.<\/p>\n Jonathan Kuminga, Hawks<\/a>. (Remaining contract: Free agent.) Kuminga was the big story last year when the Warriors did not want to commit significant years and money to him in restricted free agency. Now, in unrestricted free agency, no one wants to commit significant years and money to him. Still desperately looking for a sign-and-trade.<\/p>\n Michael Porter Jr., Nets<\/a>. (Remaining contract: one year, $40 million, partial guarantee.) Porter will wind up in the trade-candidate bin if extension talks falter.<\/p>\n Derrick Jones<\/a> Jr., Clippers. (Remaining contract: one year, $10 million.) Jones is a defensive ace still, and his expiring contract gives the Clippers some wiggle room to move him. They\u2019re caught in the Aspiration pause, however.<\/p>\n Kyle Kuzma<\/a>, Bucks. (Remaining contract: one year, $20 million,) His expiring contract is attractive and if the Bucks pull a sign-and-trade for Peyton Watson, Bennedict Mathurin or Jonathan Kuminga, he could be involved.<\/p>\n DeAndre Hunter, Kings. (Remaining contract: one year, $25 million.) The Kings want to keep him as an expiring contract they could potentially flip, but he\u2019s being mentioned as a possible target in the summer market.<\/p>\n Royce O\u2019Neale<\/a>, Hornets. (Remaining contract: two years, $21 million,) The Hornets would not be able to trade O\u2019Neale with anyone else yet, so they could wait on a deal. But the team has gotten calls about moving him on after he was traded last month.<\/p>\n Jake LaRavia<\/a>, Lakers<\/a>. (Remaining contract: one year, $6 million.) Hustles, plays every game, but inconsistent. His contract makes him an attractive piece, though, as the Lakers figure out how to finish their roster.<\/p>\n Herb Jones, Pelicans. (Remaining contract: four years, $82 million, including player option.) Jones is a popular name on the market, but the Pelicans are said to want two first-round picks, and with Jones having struggled with injuries and his 3-point shot in the past two seasons, that\u2019s probably too steep. His remaining contract scares off potential suitors, too.<\/p>\n Cam Johnson<\/a>, Nuggets. (Remaining contract: one year, $23 million.) Johnson was a disaster in his lone season in Denver, and he has been a prominent feature on the NBA trade rumor mill for years now. He still has enough of a reputation around the league to warrant trade interest, but the Nuggets value the fact that he has an expiring contract.<\/p>\n PJ Washington, Mavericks. (Remaining contract: 4 years, $90 million.) Like Gafford, Washington is aging out of the Mavericks\u2019 timeline, as he turns 28 this summer. He\u2019s a stretch 4 who plays good defense, but his shooting has been suspect\u2013he made just 32.5% of his 3s last year. Like Gafford, they\u2019re hoping to get a first-round pick, but the contract is prohibitive.<\/p>\n GettyHerb Jones<\/p>\n NBA Trade Rumors: Power Forwards\/Centers Who Could Still Move<\/p>\n Jalen Smith<\/a>, Bulls. (Remaining contract: one year, $9 million.)\u00a0 Plenty of teams are still on the hunt for a backup center, and Smith would be a nice fit in multiple situations. The Bulls could cash in for younger assets.<\/p>\n Nikola Jovic<\/a>, Heat. (Remaining contract: four years, $62 million.) There is trepidation about trading for Jovic, who is certainly available and is still only 23 years old. But the remaining contract is a hefty bite for teams to take. Are the Mavericks the answer?<\/p>\n Grant Williams<\/a>, Hornets<\/a>. (Remaining contract: one year, $15 million.) The Hornets are not quite done with their roster, and Williams\u2019 expiring deal has some value. He can still be a worthy big man off the bench.<\/p>\n Zeke Nnaji<\/a>, Nuggets. (Remaining contract: four years, $32 million.) Dumping Nnaji would get the Nuggets under the second apron and free them up to resolve Peyton Watson\u2019s situation. The Hornets are a potential landing spot.<\/p>\n Jarred Vanderbilt, Lakers. (Remaining contract: two years, $26 million.) The Lakers have been trying to find a taker for Vanderbilt, but no one has been eager to take on his contract. It\u2019s possible the Lakers will use him in their rotation, much to JJ Redick\u2019s chagrin, and attempt to trade him during the season.<\/p>\n Aaron Gordon<\/a>, Nuggets. (Remaining contract: three years, $110 million.) Someone may have to go depending on how the Peyton Watson ordeal finishes. It could be Gordon, though his recent injury history makes that tough.<\/p>\n Daniel Gafford<\/a>, Mavericks<\/a>. (Remaining contract: 3 years, $54 million.) Gafford will be 28 in October, and with the Mavs focused on getting younger, moving him along has been one of the team\u2019s top options. They\u2019re hoping to get a first-round pick for Gafford, but that might be a big ask because of his contract.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Jimmy Butler III #10 of the Golden State Warriors was a fixture n the NBA trade rumor…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":850950,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85],"class_list":["post-850949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=850949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/850950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=850949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=850949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=850949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/toronto-raptors-v-washington-wizards-game-three-washington-dc-april.jpg\")
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