Milwaukee trading for Jimmy Butler could fix the team, or break it even more

The Miami Heat are taking all calls on Jimmy Butler after suspending the All-Star wing for seven games for "conduct detrimental to the team."

Butler recently admitted his desire for a trade in unambiguous terms. He told reporters he has lost his joy on the court and that he probably can't get it back in a Heat uniform. Pat Riley has never been one to buckle under pressure, but few stars are more experienced than Butler when it comes to fracturing a locker room and forcing his way out the door.

Butler has a limited market at 34 years old. He's in the final guaranteed year of his contract, with a $52 million player option for 2025-26 that does little to ease those qualms. For all his talent and postseason pedigree, Butler is a notoriously combustive personality who is about to worm his way out of a fourth organization. It's fair to wonder if his reputation is tainted beyond repair.

In the end, Butler is still gifted enough to entice a few avid suitors. We've heard the expected teams, such as Golden State and Houston, connected to the six-time All-Star, as well as less conventional (and perhaps more desperate) sleepers, such as Memphis or Phoenix.

A new team joined the fray on Monday, however, and it's a complete shocker. Few would've dared to dream about this pairing until Arizona sports radio host John Gambadoro reported it.

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Bucks in 'ongoing discussions' to trade for Heat All-Star Jimmy Butler

This is a real doozy. Not only because of Butler's recent postseason history with the Milwaukee Bucks, but because of the current state of affairs in the heart of Wisconsin.

The Bucks have lost four of five to fall to 17-16 on the season, in a dead tie with sixth-place Miami. Nobody can deny the star power of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, but the Bucks' aging supporting cast continues to underwhelm. Milwaukee is among the oldest teams in basketball, and it's just hard to win in today's NBA without a certain level of youth and athleticism.

Butler obviously doesn't improve Milwaukee's status in the age department. He's practically a senior citizen by NBA standards, at 34 years old and in the final year of his contract. There is also a belief that Butler will opt out of his deal at season's end, so there's no guarantee he stays in Milwaukee long term. He is going to want a few years of guaranteed and plentiful compensation on his next contract. The Bucks are suffering under the new CBA and might not oblige.

That said, Butler obviously improves Milwaukee on the talent front. He's still an incredible player, and he'd make for a dynamite third star between Giannis and Dame. The irony of Butler and Dame teaming up in Milwaukee little more than a year after all the Heat-Lillard drama would be truly delicious, if nothing else is accomplished by such a trade.

Butler can still handle on-ball duties and run the show, but he's an especially selfless star when he wants to be. Few established All-Stars are more willing to play the role of connector, firing sharp passes in the flow of the offense, setting screens, cutting backdoor and doing all the little things to maximize a team's competitive stature. Butler does need to take his foot off the gas pedal in the regular season every now and then — a process the aging Bucks are well familiar with — but he's a genuine two-way force, and he'd make for a compelling upgrade on a Bucks team that lacks avenues to true youth or depth.

Milwaukee doesn't have much draft capital left to burn after the Lillard trade. Only their 2031 first-round pick is available. That said, with a limited window to maximize the Giannis-Dame duo, and little youth to speak of on the roster, it's not like the Bucks have that much to lose. Why not go all the way?

Trading a single first-round pick, Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis and salary filler is hardly a steep price for a star of Butler's caliber. It might not last, and it does limit Milwaukee's flexibility a great deal, but this team is already deep in the hole financially. There's no easy way out of purgatory with or without Butler.

We shall see if the Bucks actually go the distance and make this happen, but it's a truly compelling — if risky and ill-fated — match.