The New Orleans Pelicans have reportedly shown interest in Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler with the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaching.
An offer from New Orleans would reportedly be built around Pelicans star Brandon Ingram, and a belief exists that acquiring a player of Ingram’s caliber “would certainly get the Heat’s attention.”
“The New Orleans Pelicans have this week registered interest in trading for Butler, league sources tell The Stein Line,” wrote NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein.
“The extent of New Orleans’ interest was not immediately clear, but sources say that a firm offer from the Pelicans would be built around the $36 million expiring contract of Brandon Ingram.
“New Orleans has been navigating its own trade scenarios for Ingram after the Pelicans — like Miami with Butler — were unable to reach an extension agreement with the former All-Star this past offseason. Sources told The Stein Line that the Pelicans, after Ingram’s $36 million expiring contract had been discussed by rival teams in various trade proposals designed to help facilitate Butler’s Miami exit, decided to approach the Heat themselves about swapping Ingram for Butler.
“It is believed that the prospect of acquiring a player of Ingram’s caliber would certainly get the Heat’s attention, given that Miami is openly motivated to make the playoffs this season (as explained in detail here) even if it is successful with its goal to find a trade that rids them of Butler before the NBA’s trade deadline next Thursday at 3 PM ET.
“New Orleans, though, is well out of playoff range in an injury-ravaged season — which raises questions about how motivated it would really be to pursue Butler when it is known he wants to play for a contender — while the Pelicans are also very determined to get themselves out of the luxury tax with whatever trade business they conduct over the next six days. Which poses some challenges for them if they were to aggressively pursue the 35-year-old. That has not happened yet.”
For what it’s worth, a conflicting report surfaced on Friday regarding the Pelicans being linked to Butler.
The New Orleans Pelicans have no interest in trading for Jimmy Butler.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) January 31, 2025
With the deadline less than a week away, the clock is ticking on the Heat as they try to move Butler while they can. If no trade materializes, Miami will have to make a plan for how it wants to proceed with the veteran this season.
Since the Heat want to remain competitive and make the playoffs this season, bringing back a player like Ingram would make sense. The one-time All-Star has been sidelined since early December but is certainly capable of being a key piece when healthy.
Across 18 games this season, he has averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per contest on 46.5 percent shooting from the field and 37.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
It’s unclear if Ingram, who is scheduled to hit free agency this offseason, is the type of player the Heat would want to sign to a long-term deal. If they were to acquire him, they’d get a chance to see how he fits with the rest of their core before deciding whether or not to pursue a future with him.
At minimum, he’d give Heat stars Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo another piece to work with as they look to make the most out of the 2024-25 season. Miami is currently right at .500 and holds the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.
As for Butler, he’d be joining a losing team if he were to land with New Orleans. The Pelicans are just 12-36 this season and don’t have a ton of life in the postseason race.
But evidently, it isn’t entirely clear whether or not New Orleans is really looking at Butler, so everything should be taken with a grain of salt for now.
