The Whiteboard: Halloween could spark a Jimmy Butler trade
By Ti Windisch
The spookiest day of the year could also be the day Jimmy Butler finally gets traded.
Happy Halloween, everybody! In addition to spooky costumes and some ghosts and stuff, October 31 is an important day when it comes to NBA collective bargaining agreement rules, especially as they pertain to the Jimmy Butler situation.
As reported by Zach Lowe several days ago, the Houston Rockets will be free to trade Marquese Chriss and Brandon Knight together, or with any other players they may want to, as of today. That’s exciting stuff, considering Houston reportedly is willing to trade four(!!) first round picks plus those two players in exchange for Jimmy Butler.
Even if that isn’t the exact deal, giving the Rockets more flexibility in working out trade scenarios can only further their pursuit of Butler. Right now it seems like a two-team race to acquire him, as the Miami Heat have been reported as a potential suitor for a long time as well.
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If Halloween does not end up leading to a Butler trade, he might end up with the Minnesota Timberwolves for a while longer. The next day pertaining to trade flexibility isn’t until December 15, when many (but not all) of the free agents who signed this summer are eligible to be dealt.
The Los Angeles Lakers, if they’re still a mess then, could make a lot more sense as a trade partner after that day arrives. Until then, none of their veterans with contracts that could be used to match Butler’s (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley) can be traded.
That day isn’t as fun to write about because it’s not a holiday, though, so let’s hope Halloween ends up being the catalyst for a Butler trade.
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