NBA Teams That Should Risk a 1-Year Rental on Jimmy Butler Trade

Though there may still be some negotiating distance between the parties, the stars seem to be aligning for (or at least toward) the Miami Heat trading Jimmy Butler to the Phoenix Suns.

The Heat just suspended him another two games for missing a team flight, while the Suns dealt a 2031 unprotected first-round pick to the Utah Jazz for three conditional firsts (presumably to beef up their potential trade package for Butler).

But there's obviously no guarantee that the Miami star will head to Phoenix (or even that he'll be traded at all). Several teams, even after the deal with Utah, can beat whatever offer the Suns make for Butler. It's hard to imagine why the Heat would want Bradley Beal's contract on their books.

Even if Butler has sort of telegraphed a desire to wind up with the Suns, a handful of those teams that can beat their offer could (and maybe even should) justify a one-year rental of the star forward.

Butler can become a free agent this summer (if he declines a $52.4 million player option for 2025-26), but he's also still good enough to bump a team from one tier to another (from solid to title contender, for example). And if that happens, maybe he'd be more inclined to pick up that option or negotiate a new contract with a non-Phoenix suitor.

Teams with a chance to do all of the above can be found below.

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green may present a conservative face in public comments about the team's future. Coming right out and saying they don't want to mortgage the Golden State Warriors' future for a desperate, win-now trade is, at least in some ways, laudable.

But Curry is near the end of his career. He's brought four rings to this organization and made it one of the most valuable franchises in sports. The front office owes it to him to give him one more real shot at a fifth championship, even if he's not pressuring them to do so.

And while Butler is also nearing the twilight of his NBA run, it's not hard to see how these two stars' games would mesh.

Curry still has more gravitational pull on a defense outside the three-point line than any other player in the NBA. That, of course, could open up driving and cutting lanes for Butler. His slashing, in turn, could pull defenders away from Curry for precious tenths of a second on his catches outside.

Though he hasn't often looked engaged for Miami this season, Butler can still be a boon to Golden State on the defensive end, too. He and Draymond could muck things up inside and out against most opponents.

It would cost some of their draft capital, salary filler (like Andrew Wiggins) and some of the young core (like Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski), but again, Curry (and to a lesser extent, Butler) is worth it.

The San Antonio Spurs are on the opposite end of the spectrum as the Warriors. Golden State's glory years are likely behind it, while San Antonio's emerging superstar, Victor Wembanyama, may be opening the window for contention a lot earlier than anyone expected.

Wemby is already, arguably, one of the 10 best players in the league. He's a defense unto himself. His offensive creativity is blossoming, particularly as a playmaker. And his shooting range as a center makes him a particularly intriguing fit alongside Butler.

The symbiosis would be similar to what was described for the potential Curry-Butler pairing, with the added benefit of Wembanyama being covered by centers. His presence can pull big men 25-plus feet from the hoop, making the paint far easier to attack for wings.

Butler, of course, would benefit immensely from that.

And while there's a reasonable argument for the Spurs to slow play things right now (imagine a lucky spin in the draft lottery landing Cooper Flagg on this team), early playoff experience for Wembanyama could accelerate his development toward perennial MVP candidacy.

And San Antonio has an abundance of assets, including picks and salary-filling contracts like Keldon Johnson's, that could blow just about any other suitor's Butler offer away.

With or without Butler, Jaren Jackson Jr., Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies are probably going to finish with a top-four record in the loaded Western Conference. They're going to be a tough out against any playoff opponent. And their two All-Stars (Morant and Jackson) are both on the right sides of their primes.

But with all due respect to Jaylen Wells, who has a bona fide Rookie of the Year case, they're starting a first-year player at the 3. And Butler would undoubtedly be an upgrade.

Spacing here would be a bit more crowded for Butler than it might be with the Warriors or Spurs, but Desmond Bane and Jackson's range helps a bit with that.

And Butler would give the Grizzlies another defender to throw at Western Conference perimeter stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Jalen Green and Jamal Murray.

Memphis, like San Antonio, can put together a very competitive offer, too. It has Marcus Smart's contract for salary filler, multiple tradable picks and young players like Wells or GG Jackson, who should be intriguing to a Miami team that should be looking at a soft reboot.

And though Butler may not want to be with the Grizzlies, contending for a title with them could change his mind. That's kind of the roll of the dice teams often make on one-year rentals.

The Detroit Pistons haven't shown up in many Butler discussions, but they've exceeded expectations to the degree they could justify the swing.

Of course, Detroit shouldn't want to take the ball out of Cade Cunningham's hands. His breakout is what can fuel long-term success, but he's also averaging a league-leading 4.7 turnovers a game. A handful of off-ball opportunities each game wouldn't hurt. It could juice his scoring efficiency a bit, too. And Butler's playmaking could make that happen.

The Pistons also have the benefit of being this season's leader in the clubhouse for cap space. In fact, they're the only team with any, and they don't have to send out as much salary to absorb Butler's. There's a $14 million cushion there, and Tim Hardaway Jr.'s expiring contract, paired with Isaiah Stewart, gets to enough outgoing money.

In return, Butler would solidify Detroit's shot to get back into the postseason, opening up opportunities for valuable experience for the young core. At worst, he'd be a stopgap to replace Jaden Ivey's missing secondary playmaking. At best, he could help the Pistons be the kind of playoff spoiler that Miami was for a half-decade with Butler.

The idea of Butler going to the Denver Nuggets has been around for a while, and they probably could justify such a move.

We've already seen what Nikola Jokić's presence and passing has done to unlock Russell Westbrook's slashing, and he could have a similar impact on Butler.

Butler, in turn, would give the Nuggets more of a playmaking punch from the wing. He could help shore up the perimeter defense, too.

But one more non-three-point shooter could tip the scales too far in that direction. Denver's already dead last in the league in three-point attempts per game, and a Butler deal would almost certainly cost them their best outside shooter, Michael Porter Jr.

Plus, the Nuggets seem to be figuring out their new identity with Westbrook on the fly. Throwing that off now doesn't make a ton of sense, especially since Denver is a staggering plus-21.4 points per 100 possessions when Jokić, MPJ and Russ all share the floor.