The NBA trade deadline is less than a week away, and some major dominos are expected to fall in that span.
The two biggest have to be Jimmy Butler's impending departure from the Miami Heat and a potential De'Aaron Fox trade from the Sacramento Kings. Butler's protracted trade saga is bound to end while the Kings are trying to see what they can get for Fox via trade before he leaves the franchise as a free agent in 2026.
Fox is expected to try and make a move to join the San Antonio Spurs but hasn't explicitly demanded a trade there to the Kings. He'll accept being traded anywhere, as long as he still has flexibility in 2026. This will dampen his trade value to any team not named the Spurs, but a franchise like the Heat could make a swing for Fox and hope to retain him.
With Butler expected to be traded, the Heat can disregard his wishes to go to the Phoenix Suns and send him to the Memphis Grizzlies for the best assets that they could send to Sacramento to make this blockbuster three-team idea a reality.
Trade Details
Miami Heat Receive: De'Aaron Fox ($34.8 million), Trey Lyles ($8.0 million)
Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Jimmy Butler ($48.7 million)
Sacramento Kings Receive: Marcus Smart ($20.2 million), Brandon Clarke ($12.5 million), Luke Kennard ($9.2 million), 2027 First-Round Pick (MEM), 2029 First-Round Pick (MIA), 2031 First-Round Pick (MIA)
This deal gives the Kings strong future assets while bringing them players who could help them stay competitive with Domantas Sabonis leading the franchise. The Grizzlies move off contracts and give up one pick for what could be a half-season rental for Butler. The Heat make the best of a bad situation and somehow land an All-NBA point guard for their disgruntled superstar.
The Heat Acquire The Perfect Point Guard
The Miami Heat have had their eyes on De'Aaron Fox as a future fit for the franchise for years. They're aiming to be a cap space team in 2026, with Fox expected to be a part of that free agency class. But if the Heat have to compete with the Spurs in free agency, they could lose that battle. Instead, they can acquire him now and have 18 months to convince him that Miami is where he needs to be.
Fox is averaging 25.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists this season. The point guard would fit into the backcourt next to
Tyler Herro, with their skill sets complementing each other nicely. Fox makes up for Herro's lack of defense while Herro makes up for Fox's poor outside shooting. They'd be an incredibly dynamic pairing with Fox's longtime best friend Bam Adebayo holding them down as the center.
Miami as a city is still a major free-agent destination, so Fox would likely be open to this trade. Fox will be incentivized to sign another contract with the Heat if they compete for championships with him. He can be the new face of the Heat instead of a No. 2 option in San Antonio.
The Grizzlies Throw Caution To The Wind
Jimmy Butler made it abundantly clear that he would play for any team in the NBA except the Memphis Grizzlies. However, there's still a very compelling case for why the Grizzlies should disregard those wishes and take a half-season punt on Butler.
Due to Jimmy's impending free agency, he has to maintain his value on the court after proving himself to be a liability off the court with the Heat. He will have to accept playing for the Grizzlies or face consequences that could hurt him in his next contract. The Grizzlies have a genuine championship core ready for him to join and lead over the hump.
He's averaging 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists this season but it's not representative of his talent. Kawhi Leonard didn't want to go to the Toronto Raptors, but locked in and won them a title before easily picking his next destination. Butler can put himself in that position by being the final piece for Memphis, something that he's acutely aware of.
The outgoing assets aren't damaging enough to hurt the Grizzlies long-term so they can afford the risk, but they'll take a big bet by making this deal to make the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
The Kings Stay Competitive
The Kings are in a bad spot with De'Aaron Fox's wishes. The reveal of the Spurs being the preferred destination has hurt the Kings, as most teams will be unwilling to give up a major package. The Spurs are also incentivized to wait for 2026 and just sign him without losing assets, so the Kings have to find a way to maximize the value of their point guard in a trade. This does that pretty well.
They can continue being competitive around Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan by landing former DPOY Marcus Smart. Smart is averaging 9.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists this season, but will be a huge addition to the Kings who have a poor defensive structure. Luke Kennard is averaging 10.1 points and will be a great bench-scoring option now that Malik Monk will have to be a high-caliber starter.
The Kings also address the lack of a competent backup for Sabonis by acquiring Brandon Clarke, who's averaging 7.8 points and 5.0 rebounds this season. These reinforcements coupled with three unprotected first-round picks are a stellar return for a player they're bound to lose for nothing.
Three Happy Customers
This deal ensures all three franchises get something they need. The Kings stay competitive by landing players to reinforce weak areas on their squad along with major future assets, including some potentially dicey Miami Heat picks.
The Heat land their star of the future but have to ensure they can convince him to stay in 2026. Pat Riley's track record at keeping stars happy has been pretty bad in recent times, but it seems like Fox would be a great on-court and temperamental fit on the Heat.
Finally, the Grizzlies take a huge risk with an even bigger reward behind it. Butler can genuinely make them a championship contender if they keep their core of high-value players healthy.
