With the NBA trade deadline approaching, here are 3 deals worth making

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As the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline approaches, teams and players are gearing up for the possibility of changes.

Trade targets can often be broken up into three categories.

Some players are broadly viewed as being available in trade discussions, such as Nikola Vučević, who’s playing some of the best basketball of his career with the Chicago Bulls.

Then there are players who are unquestionably available, such as Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat.

(Generally, when a player’s own team releases a statement basically saying, “Yeah, we’re shopping this guy,” the follow-up assumption should certainly be that it’s trying everything in its power to move him.)

Finally, there are players not mentioned in trade chatter who could get traded out of nowhere, which seems to happen every so often.

Let’s take a look at one trade from each category:

It’s no secret Jimmy Butler wants a change of scenery. (Photo by Brennan Asplen/Getty Images)

Heat’s Jimmy Butler and Alec Burks to the San Antonio Spurs for Keldon Johnson, Zach Collins and Tre Jones

All right, so let’s get into this before Heat fans rush to the bathroom to revisit their lunch.

Miami is in trouble. Full stop. The organization needs to make the playoffs this season to avoid forking over an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

If the Heat make the postseason this year, they’ll only relinquish this season’s selection, meaning a pick that falls outside the lottery.

The Heat could choose to keep Butler around, as to optimize their playoff chances, but should they fail — and should Butler leave in the summer as an unrestricted free agent (he has a player option in place, which he can decline) — Miami might end up having to give up a high pick in 2026, which they assuredly don’t want to do.

Johnson, Collins, and Jones are a modest return, yes, but they keep Miami competitive for this season, to the point where they could help the franchise make the postseason.

Jones is expiring, meaning Miami could re-sign him or gain salary relief, depending on what they prefer.

Johnson’s contract is descending in value. It drops from $19 million to $17.5 million during the…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/with-the-nba-trade-deadline-approaching-here-are-3-deals-worth-making-154030523.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-01-14 15:40:00

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