Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
With some of the bigger names officially off the board heading into the NBA Trade Deadline week, it will be interesting to see what happens on the Jimmy Butler front. His market continues to shrink with every passing day and while he's still trying to force his way to the Phoenix Suns, it's become increasingly difficult to envision how that is going to happen - unless the Miami Heat completely change their stance on Bradley Beal all of a sudden. Short of that happening, it may take a surprising team to enter the picture for Jimmy to be moved ahead of the deadline.
If the Dallas Mavericks want to get truly whacky, they could attempt to find a way to enter the Jimmy sweepstakes. From a mere financial point of view, that could prove to be difficult. The Mavs would need multiple teams to help them get a deal across the finish line and they'd probably have to trade P.J. Washington and other potential rotation pieces. Whether the Mavs would want to make that level of gamble remains to be seen but as his market continues to dwindle, it's at least a possibility at this point.
In theory, Jimmy could be viewed as a strong fit in Dallas. Playing next to Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, and Anthony Davis, there's a pretty clear star role for Jimmy to embrace. I'm just not sure the Mavs would want to welcome that possible headache into their locker room - especially if Jimmy is still trying to steer the narrative toward getting to Phoenix. But if Jimmy does change courses and suggest that he's open to being traded to Dallas, which has not happened just yet, perhaps it can change things over the next few days.
The Mavs have some big decisions to make over the next few days. And if they truly want to emerge as a championship contender in the Western Conference, you'd have to think that they almost have to have another move up their sleeve before the trade deadline. At this point, it's impossible to predict how it will all play out for Dallas. One thing is clear, though, and it's the fact that they've certainly sent shockwaves across the league over the weekend. Maybe they have one more surprising move up their sleeve?