The NBA’s trade deadline is officially a week away and Jimmy Butler is no longer the hottest name on the market, with Kings star De’Aaron Fox also a possibility of being moved.
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And it sounds like there could be a potential bidding war for the 27-year-old guard.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat seem to be dropping their asking price for Butler. But why?
Plus, Josh Giddey shouldn’t be on the move any time soon but one NBA team reportedly could have interest in the Australian guard down the track.
Read on for all the latest news and rumours ahead of the NBA trade deadline!
THE LATEST ON DE’AARON FOX… AND A SURPRISE JOSH GIDDEY LINK
The wheels were already set in motion for Fox’s potential exit from the Kings when he declined a contract extension offer by Sacramento last summer worth $165 million.
But the expectation, at least until news broke earlier this week that the Kings were planning to shop Fox around, was that talk of Sacramento moving him wouldn’t ramp up until the offseason.
That has obviously changed, although Fox told reporters he was not the one that requested the trade.
“You would know if I did,” he said, according to Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee.
“That’s their decision to make. I can’t tell them not to listen to offers or I can’t tell them to listen to offers.”
Fox’s comments are supported by reporting from NBA insider Jake Fischer, who wrote on The Stein Line that it was the Kings who first approached Fox’s Klutch Sports representation about a potential trade.
“Sacramento sent word to some interested teams as early as last week that it was open to such overtures. That’s the flipped switch in Sactown,” Fischer wrote.
Although he went on to add that as much as Sacramento accelerated the timeline of the impending divorce, Fox’s “wavering commitment” to the Kings and decision to knock back their offer last summer “is what got this rolling towards a potential breakup”.
It made sense that Fox would turn down Sacramento’s offer given he can sign a four-year, $229-million extension this summer or even a five-year, $345 million supermax deal if he earns All-NBA honours.
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Of course, that decision also puts Fox on a potential path towards becoming a free agent after the 2025-26 season, which somewhat complicates the matter of trading for him if teams aren’t convinced he will be staying in the long-term.
San Antonio, the one team that has been linked to Fox from the start and is widely known to be his preferred destination, shouldn’t have that problem.
The question, however, is whether the Spurs want Fox and how much they are willing to give up.
Sources told Fischer, as has been known for quite some time now, that San Antonio is keen to find a franchise point guard to pair alongside Victor Wembanyama.
Fox is not the only name the Spurs have shown interest in though. Fischer reported that San Antonio called Cleveland on Darius Garland last year and also had interest in Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball. Although on both occasions, neither the Cavs nor Hornets came to the table.
Interestingly, Fischer also went on to write that Chicago’s Josh Giddey “has likewise been a young guard that San Antonio has envisioned possibly pairing with Wembanyama down the road”.
Giddey will become a restricted free agent after the 2024/25 season, so that is one subplot that could be worth following if San Antonio misses out on Fox or decides he isn’t the right fit.
As for what Spurs may be willing to include in a potential trade with the Kings, The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported that “there is serious skepticism in league circles” that San Antonio will be willing to include rookie guard Stephon Castle, who Sacramento “covets”.
The Sacramento Bee reported talks with San Antonio will “likely involve some combination of first-round draft picks and young players” including Castle, Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan.
Either way, the Spurs are likely to offer the most attractive package given the confidence they will have in Fox signing an extension, and hence, the lack of risk involved.
The same can’t be said for others who may view him as more of a rental and Amick reported that “more than half” of the teams in the league have inquired about Fox.
So, who are some of the teams that could factor in trade talks along with San Antonio?
Well, Fischer wrote that the Los Angeles Lakers have “zero intention” of trading Sacramento’s “presumed top target” in any deal involving Fox: Austin Reaves.
Elsewhere, he backed up what fellow NBA insider Marc Stein reported earlier in the week: that the Houston Rockets have “no plans” of trading for Fox.
Further to this, Fischer also reported that both the Rockets and Fred VanVleet have “mutual interest” in extending his stay (there is a team option in VanVleet’s deal for 2025-26).
The Heat have also been linked to Fox since they have max cap space for the summer of 2026 but they don’t have much draft capital to offer in a trade, while Amick reported that the Kings “are not pursuing” Butler.
Another option would be the Brooklyn Nets with their cap space and future first-round picks, but Fox may not fit their rebuilding timeline while it’s unclear if he would be patient enough to be part of that process either.
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WHY THE JIMMY BUTLER ASKING PRICE HAS ‘GONE DOWN’
Just as it looked like there was a strong chance that Butler was going to be staying put in Miami beyond the deadline, the Heat suspended the 35-year-old for a third time.
And according to multiple NBA insiders, it seems like that may have been the last straw and has tipped the scales towards it being more likely Butler will be moved before February 7.
During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix described Butler’s third suspension as a “needle mover” in accelerating trade talks.
“If you asked me the question Friday if Jimmy Butler would be with Miami beyond the trade deadline, my answer would have been yes,” he said.
“Because the asking price for Butler around the league has been pretty high.”
Mannix went on to add that the Heat were originally looking for draft picks and young players while they didn’t want to take on any long-term contracts beyond the 2026 season.
But now? He reported that the sense around the league, at least, is that the price has “gone down”.
That is supported by Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor, who wrote that the Heat have “lowered their asking price for Butler because they’re tired of his act”.
“And they’d like to get something in return instead of letting him walk in free agency for nothing,” he added.
It still remains the case that any Butler deal will likely involve as many as four or five teams, with NBA insider Marc Stein reporting earlier in the week that Toronto, Washington, Charlotte and Detroit are all known to “have interest in helping facilitate a deal”.
Like San Antonio with Fox, Phoenix has long been mentioned as the obvious landing spot for Butler. But who else could be interested?
Stein reported that the Bucks have “rival teams wondering if a Butler bid is forthcoming”, although they can’t currently package contracts for him unless they shed Pat Connaughton’s $9.4 million salary.
Elsewhere, O’Connor reported that Steph Curry and Steve Kerr have “concerns” about Butler potentially joining Golden State.
“My league sources confirm these hesitations, revealing Curry himself has reservations about Butler’s fit in the Warriors’ locker room — a sentiment shared by head coach Steve Kerr,” he wrote.
“Their worries stem from Butler’s tumultuous history with previous teams.”
OTHER RUMOURS AROUND THE LEAGUE
* There is plenty of interest in Myles Turner from rival NBA teams but that the “prevailing leaguewide sense” is that Indiana does not want to trade him. (Source: Marc Stein)
* Teams across the league have checked in with the 76ers to see if Caleb Martin, Kelly Oubre Jr., Guerschon Yabusele, Andre Drummond, and Eric Gordon are available. (Michael Scotto, HoopsHype)
* The Hawks are exploring the trade market for Bogdan Bogdanović, while they still remain willing to deal veteran center Clint Capela ahead of the deadline. (Source: Marc Stein)
* Specifically, the Celtics, Knicks, Nuggets and other teams have expressed interest in Yabusele. (Michael Scotto, HoopsHype)
* The Hawks are among teams the Suns have talked to regarding a potential Jusuf Nurkic trade. (Duane Rankin, AZ Central)
* The Knicks are “open” to moving Mitchell Robinson. (Source: James L. Edwards, The Athletic)
*The Bulls want a first-round pick for Nikola Vučević. (Source: Marc Stein)
* Anthony Davis said he wants the Lakers to make a move for a center… but they are unlikely to have interest in Nikola Vučević or Jakob Poeltl while Walker Kessler is as close to unavailable as it gets. (Source: Marc Stein)
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