As the trade deadline approaches for the Memphis Grizzlies to bolster their roster, fans are wondering what the dream scenario would be. While the Grizzlies try to find the best trades for their team, there is no doubt that the best-case scenario would be for them to land Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler.
Once again, the question surrounds Memphis' “dream scenario,” meaning that it could be very well likely that it doesn't come true, though there could be some rumblings. The talk around Butler and the team has been around in a positive and even negative light as well.
There is no doubt that if you put an already impressive Grizzlies team filled with players like Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, Zach Edey, etc., and combine with Jimmy Butler, it could make magic. One of the more recent reports is from Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps which reads that the Grizzlies are “lurking” in trade talks for Butler.
“The Grizzlies are lurking in Butler trade talks, sources said, and have been in contact with the Heat during the process,” Windhorst and Bontempts wrote. “Rival league executives believe Memphis is trying to combine a talent influx with offloading some future salary so it can facilitate a contract extension for Jaren Jackson Jr. as early as this summer.”
“Butler, meanwhile, has made it known that he could opt out of his contract this summer and seek free agency,” Windhorst and Bontemps continued. “Sources have theorized that if the Grizzlies can acquire him for a playoff run and also free cap space this summer, that's where their interests might lie.”
Jimmy Butler seems to be open to anywhere except with the Grizzlies
Don't get too excited if you're a Memphis fan though cause other reports say that the Grizzlies have no shot at getting Butler. One from Marc J. Spears at ESPN would even say that while Butler wants out of Miami, he is open to most locations, with the one exception being Memphis which no doubt bodes not well for the team.
“I was told today from someone close to the situation that his wish list is just out of Miami… with exception to Memphis,” Spears said. “He wants to finish his career wherever he goes.”
Jimmy Butler wants to be traded anywhere except the Memphis Grizzlies, per @MarcJSpears.
"I was told today from someone close to the situation that his wish list is just out of Miami, with the exception to Memphis.“pic.twitter.com/EbA2e0BmeF— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 23, 2025
The fit of Jimmy Butler with the Grizzlies works per Bobby Marks
If people think about the 35-year-old coming to the team, one would have to question if it's only a rental for the season as Butler could lead the Grizzlies in a deep playoff run. However, the thought would be about the future and if there is a commitment there financially which was the main issue with the Heat in the first place as even Bobby Marks at ESPN spoke about the small possibility.
“If I’m a team like Memphis and I’m trading some expiring or Marcus Smart or Brandon Clarke and I give up a first-round pick, just hypothetical, I might take a swing for that,” Marks said on a podcast on The Ringer. “For the next 4 months with Jimmy Butler on my team. Because here’s the reality: who’s going to sign him in free agency? That’s the $100 million dollar question. I don’t see anyone lined up to sign him with cap space.”
“That's the biggest thing, right? Like, because all of this is financially driven. I know Jimmy Butler can come out and say, ‘Hello, they're not using me right, and I'm not part of the offense!'” Marks continued. “Well, I watched the game a month ago in Detroit where he put up 31, and he was part of the offense. So, I think that's a little bit of a cop-out here. And I do think it's- I think this is primarily financially driven, here.”
Grizzlies have been in trade rumors for Jimmy Butler
At the moment, the team most likely to land Butler is the Phoenix Suns which were on his preferred destinations list, but once again, the Grizzlies seem to have been involved in noise for the star as said by John Gambadoro.
“Some of the rumbling I have heard are that Memphis and Milwaukee are teams having ongoing discussions about a trade for Jimmy Butler,” Gambadoro wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Miami weighing if it is better to trade him now or in offseason via sign and trade.”
Butler is serving a two-game suspension where he is eligible to return for the Heat on Jan. 27 when they host the Orlando Magic. With the trade deadline fast approaching, all eyes will be on the Grizzlies to see what they do as they are 30-15 and third in the Western Conference.
