Poised to make a substantial move in the coming weeks, the Golden State Warriors continue to be linked to a trade for Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler.
The Warriors were mentioned alongside the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks as preferred destinations for Butler in a report from ESPN's Shams Charania on Tuesday. The NBA insider added another notable team to that trio on Wednesday though, with Charania placing the Phoenix Suns as teams the 6x All-Star would be interested in.
The Warriors shouldn't be concerned with Jimmy Butler-Phoenix Suns reports
That report was met with almost immediate rebuttal from Bernie Lee, Butler's agent, in a fiery response on X (formerly Twitter). But regardless of how true the reports are, Golden State shouldn't be overly concerned on the possibilty of Butler heading to their pacific rival.
Even if there was mutual interest between the Suns and Butler, orchestrating a trade would be incredibly difficult. As a team in the second apron, Phoenix can't match salaries which means any trade for Butler would have to involve Bradley Beal. The issue with that is that Beal has a 'no trade clause', allowing him to veto any potential deal even if both teams agreed.
Not only should Warrior fans be unperturbed by the Suns, but they're also in a far better position than both the Rockets and Mavericks as well according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer.
"The Warriors are the best bet of the three teams mentioned to this point in connection with Butler to make a legit play for him," Stein and Fischer wrote. "Golden States does have a level of Butler interest, sources say, and remains very poised — as one seasoned informant put it — to "take a swing" on a significant move."
Houston could make a move but have been widely noted as not wanting to make a significant in-season trade, while Dallas are far more limited than Golden State and the fit of Butler alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
If the Warriors want Butler, they're in a solid spot to beat out any other rival to execute a trade with the Heat. The question is how much they want him and whether sending out Andrew Wiggins and additional role players/assets is even worth it for the 35-year-old.
Butler is averaging 19 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 17 games this season, having shot 55.7% from the floor and 36% from 3-point range.