NBA Week 7 Takeaways

Bucks resurgence and more

The Heat are ‘open’ to trading Jimmy Butler

This past week was a PR nightmare for ESPN’s reputable reporter Shams Charania and Bernard Lee, as the former announced that, according to Lee—an agent representing Jimmy Butler—the Heat were "listen[ing] to trade offers" for the six-time All-Star. Lee proceeded to directly call out Charania on X using harsh profanity to further emphasise his distaste for the carelessness in reporting, insinuating that Charania is a fake, reckless reporter. Butler was asked to comment and found humour in the situation, remarking, “I love it, I’m all for the back and forth…” Despite the verbal battle on X, it is unconfirmed whether the Heat are actually entertaining trade offers for Butler, but it is certainly not out of the question. Butler currently averages 19/5/4 and has the Heat in 5th place in the East with a 13-10 record.

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Giannis' spectacular play and the Bucks' future

Amidst the Milwaukee Bucks' rejuvenation following their shocking start to the season, Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing some of the best basketball of his 12-year career. Averaging 33 (a career-high)/11/6, Giannis is the primary reason for the Bucks' return to relevance and recent stretch of good games, winning 11 of their last 14.

It leaves Milwaukee with a really difficult decision: trade or hold.

If the front office decides to trade Giannis:
They would secure a solid package and, on paper, be in a highly promising situation for the start of next season. However, Giannis is the sort of player where even the king's ransom might not be enough.

If the front office decides to keep Giannis:
Something else has got to change. Since winning the title in 2021, the Bucks haven't gotten anywhere near that level of dominance again. In reality, they never should've traded Jrue Holiday. Lillard was always going to leave Portland, but he wasn’t—and isn't—the piece that the Bucks need.

I do not envy the Bucks at the moment. I do not believe it is in their best interests to trade one of the most dominant players in the league, but if they don't, they run the risk of losing him to free agency at the end of his contract. Additionally, this continued level of mismanagement and talent waste may result in him requesting a trade. I believe the best decision for the Bucks is to keep Giannis and sacrifice everything else the Bucks determine to be "dysfunctional." This could actually land them a few decent pieces. Keep one of Middleton, Portis, or Lopez; trade Lillard and the two others for as much as they can get.

Perhaps this is a case of throwing everything at the wall and hoping it sticks, but the Bucks don’t really have any other option at this point. If Giannis finishes his contract with the Bucks, it is widely believed he will enter free agency, and while this is at the end of 2027, it is necessary for the Bucks to make a decision on whether they want to trade him for a valuable setup for the next few years, risk losing him for nothing, or sacrifice everything else to make it.

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Trade rumours for LeBron?

Following his terrible run of form, LeBron James has taken a personal leave of absence from the team, as confirmed by head coach JJ Redick. Meanwhile, there are swirling rumours of James being traded, as the Lakers have dropped seven of their last ten games. The key name in the trade rumours is the Golden State Warriors.

Since losing Klay Thompson—arguably since losing Durant or Iguodala—the Warriors have been looking for another piece to help Stephen Curry. Over the past few seasons, names such as Lauri Markkanen, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Vucevic have appeared, but nothing has ever manifested. A trade for LeBron would be an incredible boost for a team that is definitely overperforming—sitting in 5th place in the West with a 14-10 record—but is swiftly losing the spark that allowed them to start the season so hot. Buddy Hield isn’t shooting anywhere close to how he was in the early weeks, while the Warriors have dropped 7 of their last 10 games.

The Warriors appear extremely eager for LeBron, despite it being unclear if the Lakers are willing to trade. It will be an extremely interesting topic to monitor in the next few weeks.