It wasn't surprising when rumors started surfacing that the Milwaukee Bucks were among the teams interested in disgruntled Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler.
This front office has always maintained an aggressive approach when it comes to big names. It's how they ended up with Damian Lillard when Miami was his preferred destination. Could the Bucks make a big splash once again with Butler? It's possible, but there are now conflicting reports out there about how likely Butler would be willing to play for Milwaukee.
Reports from Yahoo! Sports' Kevin O'Connor revealed that Butler's representatives told the Bucks not to trade for him. From the beginning, Butler has reportedly wanted to end up in Phoenix, so this wasn't too surprising. However, The Athletic's Sam Amick has countered that by saying two sources tell him that Butler's camp has not told Milwaukee anything like that.
If Jimmy Butler is indeed open to playing somewhere other than Phoenix, the Milwaukee Bucks will certainly be among the more active teams in the hunt.
The Milwaukee Bucks' Jimmy Butler hunt might not be over yet
If they are indeed interested, the Milwaukee Bucks might have a better shot of landing Butler than the Phoenix Suns right now. Phoenix needs Bradley Beal to waive his no-trade clause to make a deal work, and Miami also has to be willing to take on his massive contract. At the moment, it feels like neither of those two sides wants to budge at the moment.
The Bucks do have some captivating assets to offer Miami, especially for a team that needs to make the playoffs or lose out on some valuable draft picks. Win-now pieces such as Khris Middleton or Bobby Portis, as well as some draft capital, might not be the worst return for a player who has made it clear he doesn't want to be there. No players having a no-trade clause makes things easier.
Just like with Damian Lillard, the Milwaukee Bucks have an opportunity to swoop in and steal a star from another team they were initially hoping to land with. Time will tell if history will repeat itself or if the Bucks opt to make a smaller move while keeping their core intact. They have until February 6 to ultimately decide, and it will be fascinating to see which direction this front office goes in.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.