The Denver Nuggets could seemingly sneak into the Jimmy Butler trade sweepstakes by dangling marquee wing.
As the Denver Nuggets continue to scour the trade market for a potential upgrade that could spark the team up the Western Conference standings, it's recently been speculated (per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype) that they could dangle Michael Porter Jr. in an attempt to acquire Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat.
Even though Heat president Pat Riley has strongly pushed back on the idea of trading Jimmy, the All-Star wing has done little to quiet the trade winds. At this point, anything and everything should be on the table for the Heat and Jimmy heading into the NBA Trade Deadline season. If that is indeed true, there could be a surprise team, like the Nuggets, that could swoop in at the very last minute.
Why the Miami Heat are unlikely to accept a deal for MPJ
Even though there are reasons why a potential Jimmy for MPJ swap would work, I find it hard to believe that the Heat would be willing to pull the trigger. For one, a key part of the Heat's argument toward trading Jimmy or allowing his contract to expire is the financial flexibility they would be getting for the future. If they were to swap Jimmy for MPJ, all of that would be out of the window.
MPJ has two years remaining on his contract after this season, worth approximately $40 million per year. While adding a player like MPJ could help the Heat compete in the East, I don't think the front office would think it's worth the gamble. Miami would have to wait even longer to gain financial flexibility to make a big move via trade.
The only way I could envision the Heat even considering such a move is if they would get significant draft capital in addition to the big contract. But even then, I still wouldn't be confident this front office would value that. Plus, Denver doesn't even have the capability to offer much in terms of draft capital in a potential deal.
Unless this would expand to a multi-team deal, it's hard to imagine the Nuggets seriously jumping into the pursuit of Jimmy if all they have to trade is MPJ. It would be smart for Denver to at least make a call and see where the Heat is but I'd imagine they'd pass on the idea of a clean swap.