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Dec. 15 has come and gone, which means NBA trade season has officially commenced. Players who changed teams over the offseason are now able to be traded, which opens up a world of functionality and flexibility across the trade market. It’s now a race to Feb. 6, a nearly two-month window for teams to figure out where exactly their aspirations begin and end for the 2024-25 season.
It feels like the actual trade season has started earlier than ever too. Already, we’ve seen two teams try to solve a problem, with the Golden State Warriors acquiring Dennis Schröder to help their backup point guard problem and the Indiana Pacers trading for Thomas Bryant to get some backup center depth.
Expect to see more trades in the coming days, although it is worth noting that NBA teams have been clear in conversations with The Athletic that the new collective bargaining restrictions on trades — particularly for teams already spending a substantial amount of money on their roster — have made things more difficult.
Even with the difficulty of accomplishing deals under this CBA, expect several players to be moved around. The Los Angeles Lakers need perimeter defenders, as do the Milwaukee Bucks. The Philadelphia 76ers might need some depth if they end up buying at the deadline. The Cleveland Cavaliers could use another body in the frontcourt. Several teams, such as the Brooklyn Nets, will also likely be looking to position themselves for a race to the bottom, with players like Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper awaiting in the 2025 NBA Draft.
One thing to watch: The Pistons waived Paul Reed over the weekend to maximize their cap space ahead of the deadline, according to league sources. Under new head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon, Detroit could be an incredibly valuable facilitator in three-team deals. Look for every team trying to swing a complicated maneuver to get in contact with the Pistons to see if they can help out.
Let’s take a look at some of the players available on the market.
This is the big fish on the market this spring, with ESPN reporting that the Heat are opening to listen to offers on Butler and noting that there are four destinations that he would be interested in: Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, and Golden State. Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has aggressively disputed this in a series of posts on X. And yet, it makes all the sense in the world that Butler would be on the market. He has a player option this summer for a season that would pay him $52 million in 2025-26. Miami is stuck in the middle of the Eastern Conference. And while that hasn’t stopped the Heat from making a run to the NBA Finals before, this era of the East seems a bit different with the looming specter of the Boston Celtics (who swept a Butler-less Heat in the playoffs) hanging over the proceedings.
Butler is averaging 18.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. He’s as efficient as ever, shooting 55% from the field and 36% from 3. He still lives at the foul line. But things don’t seem to come quite as easily. He definitely picks his spots more often than when he was in his early 30s and was a mainstay on All-NBA teams. Still, this is the best player who could move teams at the deadline. Butler is outstanding still on defense and is a real playmaker with elite competitiveness and feel for the game. He probably is best suited to being a No. 2 option on a real contender, but he’d be among the better ones in the league.
The Grizzlies are another team that makes an immense amount of sense to me and could enter the contender zone if they were to acquire Butler. They need a wing, Butler’s toughness fits their style, and they have the contract assets and draft picks to get into the discussion easily.
Ayton makes $34 million this season and $35.6 million next season. Based on what he’s done so far this year, he’s not worth anything near that kind of deal. I don’t see another team particularly prioritizing acquiring Ayton on this deal at the deadline. But is it possible he could be used to salary match another player’s contract from a team that is looking to keep that salary spot on their books for next year?
The Blazers have seemingly set a high price tag for Grant over the years, but I don’t think he’s worth a first-rounder right now. If the team wanted to get off the contract and move on, it’s possible it could do that with a team desperate for size and shot-making on the wing. But he’s more of a fourth or fifth option now and being paid like a top-three option over a longer term that extends pretty far into his 30s. This feels like a tough contract to move.
Simmons makes $40.3 million this season and obviously would only be moved if the Nets decided that they wanted to spring a deal for a star player. Simmons has played 19 games this year and is getting 24 minutes per night. He’s averaging 5.1 points but also getting 5.6 rebounds and dishing out 6.5 assists.
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