Jimmy Butler and the Memphis Grizzlies will be linked together until the season ends for both the Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors. Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman admitted that there was no formal offer for the star forward ahead of the February trade deadline.
However, rumors don't appear out of thin air with the traction of the Grizzlies potentially trading for the former Miami Heat star in early January. Senior NBA Insider Chris Haynes reported twice that Butler wouldn't welcome a trade to Memphis despite the obvious need and fit for both sides.
Instead, Butler was traded to the Warriors the day before the trade deadline and the Grizzlies made trades to free up salary for the summer. The reality doesn't make the Grizzlies fanbase feel any better about the different directions both teams have been going since the trade deadline.
Butler has showed exactly why Menphis should have pursued a trade
Hindsight is 20/20 but the results have never been clearer with how the season has turned out for the Grizzlies and Warriors since the Jimmy Butler trade saga. The Grizzlies fanbase was divided about making a move for the star, mainly because of his polarizing public feud with the Miami Heat.
Also, with a $52M player option coming up this summer, Memphis risked either losing him this summer or taking on another large salary to go along with the big salaries of their big three members. Not attempting to trade for Butler made sense, but it doesn't make what is transpiring on the court right now any better.
The Grizzlies just lost by 51 points to the Oklahoma City Thunder while Butler just helped the Warriors steal game one at the Houston Rockets. When the Grizzlies and Warriors faced off last week in their first play-in game, Butler dominated the game on both sides to finish with 38 points to knock the Grizzlies down to the eighth seed.
His intensity, attention to detail, defense, playmaking, scoring ability, and leadership are what is lacking on the Grizzlies roster at the moment. The Warriors went from a 25-26 team hoping to make the play-in to a 48-34 team with a 1-0 series lead in their playoff series against the Rockets since acquiring Butler.
Butler being adamant about not coming to Memphis, likely because of the lack of a contract extension that he secured with Golden State, has left Memphis with more questions than answers this season. Zach Kleiman said at the deadline that none of the players the Grizzlies targeted were traded, giving even more reason for the opposite direction the Grizzlies have taken from their rival counterparts out west.