ESPN’s Shams Charania reported in December that Miami Heat star forward Jimmy Butler prefers a trade to the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, or Phoenix Suns, but one sleeper team under the radar right now is his former team: the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jimmy Butler Trade Rumors: 76ers’ Joel Embiid Has Been Pushing For the Sixers To Reacquire The All-Star
According to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, the 76ers could “quietly” emerge as a suitor for Butler in a potential swap for Paul George. Goodwill added that he believes Joel Embiid has been pushing for the Sixers to reacquire the disgruntled six-time All-Star.
After the Heat suspended Jimmy Butler for the third time this month on Monday, they decided to lower their asking price for the 14-year veteran. The five-time All-NBA member was due to return from a two-game suspension for Miami’s game against the Orlando Magic.
“I’ve heard that Philly quietly could be a suitor for Jimmy Butler…theoretically, it would be a Jimmy for Paul George swap. I believe that Embiid is pushing for them to reacquire Jimmy.”
(h/t @dru_star )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 28, 2025
Butler’s latest suspension is indefinite and will last no fewer than five games, which is how many games the Heat have remaining before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
The Suns reportedly remain Butler’s preferred destination. This means Phoenix will have to include at least three teams in a potential deal because it doesn’t have the draft capital or ability to do a one-for-one trade unless Bradley Beal waives his no-trade clause.
Heat Dropped Their Asking Price For Jimmy Butler
During Tuesday’s morning edition of SportsCenter, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst explained the Heat are “really, really trying” to get a trade done by dropping their asking price for Butler:
“The Heat are really, really trying to make this happen. And I know that you could have said that any time in the last four or five weeks, but in talking to people who are involved in these talks, I think the Heat’s prices have come down. What they’re willing to accept in trade has widened, and I think that’s going to bring some more teams that we’re previously sitting on the sideline to the table.
“Obviously, the Phoenix Suns have tried to get this done for weeks. They have tried three, four, five-team machinations. They have not been able to overcome the fact that what they’ve really got to trade is Bradley Beal, who has a no-trade clause and not a very big market. And so now I do believe this is going to bring in some other teams. We could see some surprising moves in this in this little battle in the next couple of days.”
Paul George Trade Is Unlikely
However, the 76ers are opening the door to one potential problem if they trade George before the deadline. Goodwill noted that Sixers management told George when he signed with them last summer that they wouldn’t trade him during the first season of his four-year, $212 million contract.
But if history has shown the NBA community anything, it’s that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey hasn’t always been the most honest front-office executive with his players. That became evident two years ago when he backed out of a promised deal with James Harden.
Another problem is George’s contract. Since the Heat are now more than willing to be done with Butler, the team is “determined not to take back sizable contracts that run past next season,” per Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
If the Heat were asked to take back a significant contract that runs beyond the 2025-26 season, the team wants to be “compensated with a draft pick or two.”
George is making more than $50 million in each of the next two years and has a $56.6 million player option for 2027-28. The 34-year-old is not only an expensive star to trade, but he’s also an injury-prone player. Miami acquiring George would not really help the franchise from a financial standpoint.
