Jimmy Butler reportedly open to new team in a trade

Since Jimmy Butler requested a trade from the Heat in mid-December, it's been widely reported that the six-time All-Star prefers a move to the Warriors, Suns, Mavericks or Rockets.

It appears Butler has added a fifth team to his preferred list of destinations. According to The Athletic's Sam Amick, Butler is not opposed to joining the Bucks, contrary to earlier reports. 

"And while it remains unclear which teams are truly willing to get into the Butler business, two league sources insisted that the Milwaukee Bucks have not, contrary to reports, been told by Butler’s camp that he doesn’t want to play there," Amick wrote. 

As a second-apron luxury tax team, the Bucks face financial challenges to acquire Butler's $48.7M salary. However, they could pull off the trade by sending Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis to Miami and Pat Connaughton to a third team, per ESPN's Bobby Marks. 

The Bucks (22-17) improved to the fourth seed with a 122-93 win over the Magic on Wednesday. Yet, they are not viewed as a legitimate title contender due to their struggles against elite teams. As of Friday, Milwaukee has a paltry 0-8 record against the top three teams in its conference — Cleveland, Boston and New York.

There's still no guarantee Butler will wind up in Milwaukee or the aforementioned four teams on his desired list. According to multiple insiders, the Heat are determined to make a trade in the best interest of their franchise even if it means sending Butler to an obscure team. 

Butler's seven-game suspension by the Heat ended this week. As a result, the star player is no longer listed on the team's injury report ahead of their 2023 NBA Finals rematch against the Nuggets on Friday.