Jimmy Butler trade rumors

[TOO]

I'm a big Cam Whitmore guy.

Whitmore is a very talented scorer, but he is also a me-first guy, who has been really chirping about his playing time and touches. Buyer beware.

Definitely has some maturing to do, but man the offensive skill and athleticism has me hooked.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Ah yes, Bobby Marks, the guy who repeated on TV that the Suns could only get KD if they included Booker in the trade.

[Mori Chu]

Good to see you, INF. You want the Suns to blow up this team, trade KD + whomever else for picks and youngs, yes?

[INFORMER]

Good to see you, INF. You want the Suns to blow up this team, trade KD + whomever else for picks and youngs, yes?

Yeah, I would, but I know that is highly unlikely to happen. We're entering that same agonizing status that we went through the final Nash years where the franchise just felt good parading names out there and were in denial about what they were actually accomplishing.

[virtual9mm]

Good to see you, INF. You want the Suns to blow up this team, trade KD + whomever else for picks and youngs, yes?

Yeah, I would, but I know that is highly unlikely to happen. We're entering that same agonizing status that we went through the final Nash years where the franchise just felt good parading names out there and were in denial about what they were actually accomplishing.

It will be worse, with the franchise having stripped mined its assets to mortgage the future for a present that never quite materialized.

[Ring_Wanted]

I feel like I've said half a dozen times to trade KD for what you can now - likely the Rockets. Get back some combo of young players and picks with salary filler and start the retooling around Book.

Bobby Marks posed the following deal:

Rockets get: forward Kevin Durant, center Bol Bol, guard Monte Morris, guard Damion Lee

Suns get: forward Dillon Brooks, forward Cam Whitmore, forward Jae'Sean Tate, forward Jeff Green, center Jock Landale, two first-round picks (2025, 2027; both return to Phoenix)

Houston sports radio was discussing the deal, and they were actually debating whether or not to do it, and how it would be hard to part with Dillon Brooks.

From a Phoenix perspective, I think the deal sucks. I was shocked that Reed Shepherd and/or Jabari Smith aren't included. I'm not making a deal without Jabari Smith being included.

I think it's a reality check though, that we may be exaggerating Durant's value on the trade market.

That deal is insulting, and it gets worse the more you put it in our specific context (which includes not having control over the 2026, 2028 and 2030 picks). I get HOU not being willing to even discuss Amen, but removing any other young guy from a Durant trade scenario is asinine (obviously not counting Sengun as he is their cornerstone). Not that I love any of their other kids, mind you. But not available? In the context of a Kevin Durant trade where he is added to a 67% team, second overall in the West? Come on now.

Eason is a very good role player, that's for sure. Hustles a lot, and makes corner threes. But is he ever going to become more than that? Doubtful, but for sure would love him on my team.

Smith Jr is nice but there's a good chance he does not become anything special. And his numbers are even decreasing! I know there are nuances to this as his team is evolving from tanking to winning, but this is not a good sign. In any case, he holds no premium value to me despite being a former 3rd overall pick.

Whitmore is a nice gunner and so young, but I wonder what would be his role on a winning team moving forward.

Sheppard is not worth discussing as anything more than a sweetener. Close to throw in/salary filler. Might regret these words in a couple of years (at one point Goran Dragic was called the worst player in the whole league) but he barely looks like he belongs.

[ShelC]

Honestly, I think Udoka may be the one to be against it and Stone may be the one who would push for it. Udoka is very serious about attitude and toughness; there is a reason why he called LeBron a b-tch. I don't know if he would be down for rocking the boat to bring in KD. I think he would be more open to doing it as a free agency move, but I have my doubts about him being on board with shaking up the team to bring in an aging, mentally soft star.

IIRC KD and Udoka were close in Brooklyn and KD wanted him to take over for Nash. Udoka also has the structure and culture set in Houston to where KD can just step in and play his role. Strong leadership from the coach and vets like FVV and Brooks.

[Mori Chu]

I feel like I've said half a dozen times to trade KD for what you can now - likely the Rockets. Get back some combo of young players and picks with salary filler and start the retooling around Book.

Bobby Marks posed the following deal:

Rockets get: forward Kevin Durant, center Bol Bol, guard Monte Morris, guard Damion Lee

Suns get: forward Dillon Brooks, forward Cam Whitmore, forward Jae'Sean Tate, forward Jeff Green, center Jock Landale, two first-round picks (2025, 2027; both return to Phoenix)

Houston sports radio was discussing the deal, and they were actually debating whether or not to do it, and how it would be hard to part with Dillon Brooks.

From a Phoenix perspective, I think the deal sucks. I was shocked that Reed Shepherd and/or Jabari Smith aren't included. I'm not making a deal without Jabari Smith being included.

I think it's a reality check though, that we may be exaggerating Durant's value on the trade market.

This is such a Rockets-slanted deal. This is the kind of deal that their FO leaks out to try to scare us and drop our asking price. KD plus all that other talent and we only get back one semi-good young prospect? Please. We're sending them a top-10 all-time scorer, doing them a favor by taking back 3 bad contracts (Brooks, Green, Landale) and only really get Whitmore and two 1sts for our trouble? Meh.

Call OKC and you can get a way better package than that to send KD home.

[carey]

Why are we trading Kevin Durant? We only do that if we blow the team up and rebuild, in which case we likely trade Booker too. Then Beal will want out if he doesn't already.

[Mori Chu]

Why are we trading Kevin Durant? We only do that if we blow the team up and rebuild, in which case we likely trade Booker too. Then Beal will want out if he doesn't already.

Hi carey, good to see you; hope all is well.

Those of us talking about trading KD generally fall into one of two camps:

(1) partial rebuild; trade only KD (or only KD plus a few supporting moves, like maybe moving Grayson Allen) to restock the Suns with picks and young players for the future. Team won't contend, but we will still have Book + Beal + lots of role players and wings and picks, and we'll hopefully fall back out of the 2nd apron, so we can start to retool.

(2) full rebuild; trade literally anybody who will bring back picks and young players. Book is arguably the one exception, though some folks would trade him, too.

Beal may "want out" but he is likely untradeable for the foreseeable future, so in either case you probably keep him around to help lead the bad team as it rebuilds.

Myself I fall into camp #2; I think you should trade anybody and everybody. In terms of Booker, I think you treat him a bit special; you meet with him, tell him it isn't working and that you're trading KD and blowing up the team, and you ask him if he wants to be traded or if he wants to stay and help the team rebuild. If he says he'll stay, you keep him here. If he says he'd rather go somewhere else and contend now, you help facilitate a trade for him.

[The Bobster]

If you're going to rebuild, you make trades for one reason. To get better in the long run. You can't afford the luxury of asking players where they want to go unless that deal is comparable to the best offers you're getting elsewhere.

The list of players who were All-Stars here and finished their career here is a lot shorter - Alvan Adams, Kevin Johnson, Dick Van Arsdale - than the list of player who were All-Stars here and got traded away - Charles Barkley, Tom Chambers, Gail Goodrich, Connie Hawkins, Jeff Hornacek, Dennis Johnson, Jason Kidd, Maurice Lucas, Dan Majerle, Shawn Marion, Larry Nance, Steve Nash, Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Paul, Truck Robinson, Charlie Scott, Paul Silas, Amar'e Stoudemire, Paul Westphal

You can't afford to fall in love with your players if you're the guy making the decisions.

[Split T]

I agree for the most part…I think there’s some situations where that changes…Tyus jones is a great example…he did us a favor signing here for the min…I don’t think you just ship him to the highest bidder without his consent.

Booker in my opinion has earned having a say. He’s stuck through some real rough times with us…I’m not saying let him pick, but you don’t banish him to a team he really doesn’t want to go to…we don’t owe KD or Beal anything though…same with anyone else on the roster.

[Wally_West]

From Marc Stein.



It’s all coming together

[Flagrant Fowl]

I'd rather the Suns pursue Middleton and Portis than Butler if Beal agrees to go to Milwaukee.

[Cap]

I agree for the most part…I think there’s some situations where that changes…Tyus jones is a great example…he did us a favor signing here for the min…I don’t think you just ship him to the highest bidder without his consent.

I think that any team that values him enough to trade for him for half a season is somewhere he’d be comfortable playing for half a season. It’s not like they’re trading for his expiring contract.

[Split T]

I agree for the most part…I think there’s some situations where that changes…Tyus jones is a great example…he did us a favor signing here for the min…I don’t think you just ship him to the highest bidder without his consent.

I think that any team that values him enough to trade for him for half a season is somewhere he’d be comfortable playing for half a season. It’s not like they’re trading for his expiring contract.

You’re probably right…but he also came here to start so he could get a big contract in the summer…a team trading for him might just want him for 10-15 minutes a game.

[Cap]

I agree for the most part…I think there’s some situations where that changes…Tyus jones is a great example…he did us a favor signing here for the min…I don’t think you just ship him to the highest bidder without his consent.

I think that any team that values him enough to trade for him for half a season is somewhere he’d be comfortable playing for half a season. It’s not like they’re trading for his expiring contract.

You’re probably right…but he also came here to start so he could get a big contract in the summer…a team trading for him might just want him for 10-15 minutes a game.

He might look better playing 15 minutes for a winning team than 30 for us. Teams in the summer are going to be looking for someone who’s a winner.

[Split T]

I agree for the most part…I think there’s some situations where that changes…Tyus jones is a great example…he did us a favor signing here for the min…I don’t think you just ship him to the highest bidder without his consent.

I think that any team that values him enough to trade for him for half a season is somewhere he’d be comfortable playing for half a season. It’s not like they’re trading for his expiring contract.

You’re probably right…but he also came here to start so he could get a big contract in the summer…a team trading for him might just want him for 10-15 minutes a game.

He might look better playing 15 minutes for a winning team than 30 for us. Teams in the summer are going to be looking for someone who’s a winner.

I don’t think they’ll pay big bucks for a bench guard

[Wally_West]

After today’s game I’m 100 confident that Bradley Beal is being traded by deadline.

I’m now 87% sure it’ll be for Jimmy Butler


There’s a slight chance we just end up trading for Middleton and Portis if Jimmy don’t work out. Both are expiring contracts next year.

[ShelC]

Word going round now is that the Bucks are looking to move Pat Connaughton to get under the apron to help get a deal done somehow.