The 16-12 Los Angeles Lakers have tightened up their defense over their last five games to get back inside the top six of the Western Conference. They have a golden chance to stack up more wins with only four road games in the next 30 days.
Yet despite their recent turnaround, they have been mentioned as an active team in the trade market. They are among the three teams outside Jimmy Butler’s preferred landing spots “quietly mentioned in league circles” as potential suitors, according to Clutchpoints’ Brett Siegel.
The latest trade intel on Butler, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, is that the Miami Heat have no urgency to trade the six-time NBA All-Star who led them twice to the NBA Finals over the last four years.
“As for Butler’s future, there is a growing consensus among the teams I talked to that unless the six-time All-Star becomes a distraction, or the Heat receive a trade offer they cannot turn down, Butler will be on the Heat’s roster once the deadline passes,” Marks wrote on December 23.
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale proposed an all-in trade for the Lakers, which fits the Heat’s criteria for an offer that they cannot refuse.
Detroit Pistons Receive: Jalen Hood-Schifino, Los Angeles Clippers’ 2025 second-round pick (via Lakers)
Miami Heat Receive: Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Toronto’s 2025 second-round pick (top-55 protection, via Detroit), Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick (top-four protection; turns into 2030 second if not conveyed), Lakers’ 2031 first-round pick (top-five protection; turns into 2031 second-round pick if not conveyed)
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Jimmy Butler
“Getting two loosely protected firsts that post-date the Lakers’ window with Butler, AD and LeBron would be a borderline coup for Miami,” Favale wrote.
Filling up Lakers Depth After Potential Jimmy Butler Trade
While Butler could potentially add star power to the Lakers and form a new Big Three with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, it would also hamper their financial flexibility to surround them with a capable supporting cast to contend in the Western Conference.
Butler has a $52.4 million player option for next season, which he is not inclined to pick up, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. Butler is seeking a two-year, $110 million extension from the Heat, which they did not offer in the offseason.
The 4-for-1 trade proposal by Favale would deplete the Lakers’ already thin roster depth. However, there are still several free agents whom they can sign for the veteran minimum, such as former Lakers Patrick Beverley, Loonie Walker IV, Marcus Morris, former No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz, Danuel House, Robert Covington and Bismack Biyombo.
Jimmy Butler Not on Lakers Radar: Report
As tantalizing as the potential star power the Lakers would get from a Butler trade, such scenario “is nothing more than fan fiction at this point,” according to Siegel.
“Los Angeles doesn’t appear to have the six-time All-Star on their radar, according to league sources. Instead, the Lakers are focusing their attention on adding frontcourt help and two-way wings next to James and Davis. Los Angeles does not want to bring in another hefty salary like Butler’s at this juncture,” Siegel wrote.
The Lakers have been through this route with the ill-fated Russell Westbrook experiment, which cost them a first-round pick to get rid of.
While Butler appears to be a much better fit as a two-way wing in between James and Davis, his age and injury history would represent another massive risk for the Lakers.
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