NBA HQ: Kawhi Leonard out not for rest vs. Bucks, not healthy enough to play back-to-backs

The Milwaukee Bucks have not been told that they shouldn’t show interest in Jimmy Butler. However, that doesn’t mean that Milwaukee will make an offer for Butler either.

Instead, the Bucks are more likely to show interest in acquiring Bradley Beal from the Phoenix Suns. That could be as part of a transaction that ultimately sends Butler to his desired destination of Phoenix, or it could be a separate deal entirely.

Milwaukee previously showed interest in Beal when he was still a member of the Washington Wizards. It’s unknown if the veteran guard would approve a trade to the Bucks or not. And, in order to trade for Beal, Milwaukee would need to get under the second apron to be able to aggregate the necessary salaries in a deal to acquire Beal. That will likely require find a team to take on Pat Connaughton’s $9.4 million contract, without the Bucks taking any salary back.

The Golden State Warriors believe they remain in the mix on a trade for Jimmy Butler, sources told The Athletic on Monday. This follows ESPN’s report on Sunday evening that it had been communicated to the Warriors that Butler was unwilling to sign an extension with the team should they trade for him.

Butler prefers a trade to the Phoenix Suns as they are the team most willing to meet his asking price on an extension. The Suns, however, are limited in their ways of trading for him unless they can find a team to trade for Bradley Beal while he also waives his no-trade clause.

The Warriors have also inquired with the Suns about the availability of Kevin Durant. Durant’s agent, Rich Kleiman, sat next to Joe Lacob at Friday’s game between the Warriors and Suns. They were seen conversing during the game, at halftime and postgame.

It is unclear how open Durant would be to a return to the Warriors, or if the Suns would entertain trading him during this transaction cycle.