Last week, some of the first trade rumors of the season regarding the Dallas Mavericks dropped, and while one rumor fans expected, the other one came out of left field.
It was reported that Dallas would look to move Maxi Kleber ahead of the trade deadline, which most fans expected considering his dramatic falloff and constant injuries, but the unexpected intel that no one expected was the Mavs being linked to Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat.
It was reported that Dallas was one of the teams that Butler would be open to be traded to along with the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and Phoenix Suns.
While Dallas could end up shocking everyone and pursuing a trade for Butler, making the finances work in this deal would be extremely challenging. They would have to send out several role players and likely significant draft capital (which they don't have much of to begin with) just to make the money work, and a recent tidbit of intel from Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reveals the Mavs' actual level of interest in making a move for Butler.
Dallas has not shown real interest in a Jimmy Butler trade
According to Stein and Fischer (subscription required), the Mavs "have not registered tangible interest in a Butler trade pursuit."
And there it is.
The Mavs have not shown true interest in making a deal for Butler happen right now, and Mavs fans who feared that they may make this move can take a sigh of relief for now. While Butler would be an outstanding addition to the team due to his hustle, secondary playmaking, slashing, and defense, the cost of bringing him in would be way too high considering how much money Dallas would have to send out to make the salaries work.
Butler is set to make $48.8 million this season, and in order to make this deal possible, the Mavs' elite depth would be gone. Dallas' bench play is what has helped them have this great start to the season, and they would go from having some of the best depth in the Western Conference to being a top-heavy squad with Butler, Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving at the center of it all.
It also doesn't help that Butler reportedly intends to become a free agent this summer and opt out of his contract, because there is a chance that Irving decides to do the same. It's clear that the Mavs want Irving to return, and it can be expected that he wants to do the same considering how beneficial his time in Dallas has been, and Nico Harrison having to focus on re-signing two star players over the summer would be a challenge.
From everything that has been reported combined with logical thinking from the start, a Butler to Dallas trade never seemed likely to begin with, and now fans have a better idea about how the Mavs feel about pursuing the Heat star wing. There hasn't been real interest just yet, but as the deadline approaches, the Mavs could end up changing their mind although it seems unlikely.
