The Bucks may not be out of the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes after all

Apparently, at least one reputable source thinks Milwaukee isn’t on the Miami star’s unofficial no-trade list.

As the Jimmy Butler trade saga rolls on in South Beach, rumblings last week indicated that the Bucks were they are not one of his preferred destinations and should not deal for him. That report came from Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports, and Jake Fischer at The Stein Line backed it up. But Sam Amick of The Athletic casts doubt on that in a recent interview, saying he doesn’t believe Butler’s camp sent that message:

Here’s Amick’s full quote:

The Milwaukee thing, I’m admittedly a little confused by, because it’s been confirmed in a couple of spots. I was told from somebody who 100% would and should know that Jimmy’s camp had not spoken about Milwaukee and also hadn’t been asked about Milwaukee. There is chatter about the Bucks and the idea of them kicking it around. Regardless of exactly what was said, I would move off that possibility. I don’t sense a lot of eagerness from even the Bucks’ side to go down that road. I think, like any good team, they’re gonna consider certain things.

So maybe they’re not out of the running? Or maybe it’s them who aren’t interested? Maybe both sides aren’t into the idea? Who knows. But I suppose we shouldn’t dismiss the Bucks trading for Butler as a possibility, however unlikely it is. Perhaps not surprisingly, given his malcontent reputation and age, 62% of fans polled last week are not in favor of trading for Butler.

We explored the salary gymnastics the Bucks would need to perform in order to trade for Butler last week. One wrinkle I learned that’s worth a brief mention: it need not be a four-for-one trade as I suggested in order for Milwaukee to send out enough salary to dip beneath the second apron (where they’d then be hard-capped because they’d be aggregating salaries) at the deal’s completion. Because of Khris Middleton’s unlikely bonuses, a package of him, Bobby Portis, and Pat Connaughton would be enough to keep enough room open for a 14th player, whom the Bucks would be required to add within two weeks of their roster dropping to 13.

Another thing worth discussing is a buyout. There appears to be skepticism around the league that Miami will find an offer to its liking before the deadline. Now, while there’s been no indication (to my knowledge, at least) that this would happen if Butler remains with the Heat after February 6th, even if the two sides did work something out, he couldn’t sign with the Bucks after his release. If Milwaukee stays over the second apron, they are barred from signing any buyout players.

Likewise, all teams above the first apron—which the Bucks will be for the remainder of the season—can’t sign a buyout player whose previous salary was greater than the non-taxpayer midlevel exception of $12.8m. At $48.8m currently, Butler will be limited in where he could sign if he was bought out. The only contenders (your definition of this may vary) who are currently below the first apron but would be able to sign him to a minimum immediately following the deadline while remaining under are the Cavs, Clippers, Pacers, Grizzlies (who have been widely reported as a team Butler doesn’t want to play for), Rockets, and Magic.

Sure, this isn’t much of an update in regards to the Bucks, but until Jimmy Butler is no longer employed by the Heat, there is something of a chance he ends up on the Bucks this year, however small.