For the last few weeks, it seems like Charles Barkley is on a tour calling out the BS in the league. Some fans love it, it others do not. But there is one thing you have to acknowledge, Chuck is harsh and truthful. On the last episode of Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley touched on the Jimmy Butler trade saga.
Charles Barkley on Jimmy Butler, “It Is All About Money”
The guys talked about whether Jimmy was happy or not in Miami and whether the organization had done something wrong to him. And Chuck gave an honest, and harsh truth. He said,
“I don’t want to hear all that stuff. This is all about money. Don’t tell me he has no joy. All this, he wants a long-term contract. You have a contract, you don’t get to say unless you extend me I’m just going to quit playing.”
Charles also acknowledged it is not an easy situation to be in. It looks like the Butler trade saga for the Miami Heat could continue up until the deadline, and it will not be pretty. Barkley explained it in simple words,
“It’s a really bad situation. You need to get that thing done right now. You’re sitting here, but at this stage of the season, I don’t even know if you can do the trade if you are another NBA team. He can be a free agent, so what do you give up? I wouldn’t even trade for him unless he gave me a contract extension, because I can’t take that chance that he is going to leave after one year. You are going to give up some good stuff to get him.”
The Butler Saga Takes Another Turn
Yesterday, a new report by Chris Haynes talked about how Butler and his camp have been telling some teams not to trade for him. A few days ago, when he talked about the joy of playing basketball, Jimmy said he was open to playing anywhere.
Yet, it seems like he has a few preferred destinations, and he is doing anything in his power to get there. That includes telling teams like the Memphis Grizzlies and the Milwaukee Bucks not to trade for him.
Why the Suns and Warriors Are Only Logical Choices
At this point, it seems like only two teams are ready to give Butler what he wants. Those are the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns. The latter are ready to give him the extension he wants as well according to reports.
The problem is that these two teams do not have the necessary assets to make a Butler trade. Even Charles Barkley talked about how some teams might not be willing to give up a lot for Butler. The Warriors and the Suns have been mentioned as preferred destinations for a few weeks now. The challenge is the Heat do not view their offers as attractive. Otherwise, they would have made the deal by now.
Where Do We Go From Here?
It seems like there has to be a third or fourth team added to the mix. The Warriors and the Suns cannot make the trade work on their own. Now, their quest to find a third or fourth team that will facilitate the trade begins.
A couple of teams that can play that role include the Detroit Pistons and the Utah Jazz. Both have cap space, and Detroit also has a midlevel exception it can use to take back salary. Of course, they would love to be compensated and that is where draft picks come to play. The Warriors have three tradeable first-round picks, while the Suns have one tradeable first-round pick and a couple of second-round picks.
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