NBA Trade Rumors: Exploring four non-Suns teams that Jimmy Butler should be open to being traded to.
As the Jimmy Butler saga continues to drag on, it's hard to envision a happy ending for all sides involved. Jimmy clearly wants to be traded to the Phoenix Suns and the Miami Heat want to make the best deal available to them. Right now, a trade with the Suns doesn't exactly fall with that line of thinking. Mostly because of Bradley Beal's preferences with his no-trade clause which can't be ignored at this point.
While a Jimmy trade to the Suns feels less and less likely at the moment, I'll argue for four teams that Jimmy should be more open to as the Heat continue to scramble to move him ahead of the February 6 NBA Trade Deadline.
Memphis Grizzlies
When it was initially reported that the Miami Heat were open to listening to offers for Jimmy Butler, the Memphis Grizzlies suddenly emerged as a natural potential landing spot. In theory, Jimmy would be a great basketball fit for the surging Grizzlies. However, since it was leaked that the Grizzlies had interest, it was soon revealed that Jimmy had no interest in being traded to the Memphis. But I'd argue that Jimmy should be open to a trade to Memphis.
How feasible is a Jimmy Butler trade?
If the Grizzlies were interested in Jimmy and Jimmy were interested in joining the Grizzlies, this deal would've been done a week ago. That's how easy it would be for the Grizzlies to be able to strike an offer that the Heat would probably be willing to accept. Memphis has draft capital, young players, and even the right contracts to make the deal work financially. However, as it has been reported, Jimmy doesn't want to play in Memphis.
However, Jimmy would be a great basketball fit next to Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. if this deal were to happen. To be honest, Jimmy's lack of interest in such a deal is unfortunate for both the Heat and Grizzlies. Jimmy, from a talent perspective, is exactly what Memphis might be missing to emerge as a legit contender in the Eastern Conference. It's a shame he isn't more open to such a move.