The Sixers can offer the most money, the Knicks and Nets have been mentioned, the Lakers seem attractive now with Anthony Davis, but the latest team reportedly after Jimmy Butler is the Houston Rockets.
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And according to Stephen A. Smith, James Harden and Butler have been communicating and Butler will consider Houston.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey, in an interview on SportsTalk790, says Houston does not want to trade Chris Paul. In fact, Morey said, "We want to add one more star to this team."
Butler, 29, grew up in the Houston suburb of Tomball and played high school ball at Tomball High School.
FWIW, Butler does appear to be in Houston metro at the moment... though obviously he grew up in Tomball, so there are any number of reasons for him to be here. pic.twitter.com/qMX73XlxFn
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) June 17, 2019For Houston, the salary cap is tricky. Both Harden and Paul count $38 million against the 2019-20 cap, while Clint Capela and Eric Gordon will count for $14 million each. You would think that Morey, one of the league's top general managers and cap guys, would be able to finagle a way to add Butler in if necessary.
But on the surface, moreso than the Lakers or either New York team, the Rockets make a lot of sense for Butler—at least, in my opinion. He's from Houston, he's friendly with James Harden (who is the same age as him), and the Rockets are a title contender with playoff experience.
Philadelphia can offer Butler a five-year max contract up, one more year than every other team. It'll ultimately come down to where Butler wants to play.
