The potential for a Jimmy Butler trade has varied, although The Ringer's Howard Beck now feels confident that he'll be moved:
"Jimmy Butler will be traded. Rival executives have been buzzing about it for months, for all the obvious reasons. Butler is about to turn 35 (with a lot of hard miles and a lot of injuries), with one year left on his Heat contract, and is reportedly seeking a two-year, $113 million extension. If the Heat grant it, they'll have little to no flexibility to add another star. And they absolutely need one."
One team that's largely flown under the radar over the past year is the Memphis Grizzlies, a team that finished second in the West when healthy in 2022-23.
If the Grizzlies want to re-establish themselves as a powerhouse in the conference, bringing in Butler to team up with Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. would certainly make a statement.
A deal based around Desmond Bane seems like the most likely outcome. Losing Butler hurts, although it gives the Heat a new 26-and-under core of Bane, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jović to build around without worrying about an extension for Butler.
Memphis would then move forward with Butler as a secondary scoring option to Morant and still have Jackson, Marcus Smart, GG Jackson, Brandon Clarke, Luke Kennard (team option), Vince Williams Jr. and others on the roster.
This would be an incredibly tough group overall with an extra fear factor added in with Butler, making the Grizzlies a team no one would want to face in their presumed return to the postseason.
