The NBA’s unofficial “trade season” opened on Sunday. On that date, most of the players who signed free agent contracts before the season became eligible for trades, under the league’s complicated rules regarding player movement and the salary cap under the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

In all, a total of 86 players across the NBA are now trade-eligible, who were not prior to Dec. 15. Not all of last offseason’s free agents became eligible, but those that did not can just wait a month until January 15. That’s the date when the CBA rules allow players who signed new contracts with their current teams to be traded, if those teams were over the cap at the time of signing and whose new contracts gave them a minimum 20 percent pay raise under the CBA’s “Bird rights” exception.

Named after Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Larry Bird, the “Bird Rights” exception, more formally known as the “Qualifying Veterans Free Agent Exception,” dates back to the birth of the salary cap in 1983 and allows teams to retain certain star players even if doing so puts them over the cap. But another big one does.

Jimmy Butler Already Trade-Eligible Under CBA Rules

Fortunately for the Golden State Warriors, or any team that may be planning a trade for veteran Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, those specific obstacles built into the CBA do not exist in his case.

While several teams have been mentioned as possible Butler suitors this season, Golden State has moved quickly to the “forefront” of that small group, according to a report by Jordan Elliot of NBC Sports Bay Area. Elliot also reported that the Warriors are the only team “likely” to hold “substantive talks” with the Heat about acquiring Butler.

Three other teams have emerged as contenders for Butler, according to the NBC report, but none appear willing to move forward in the process.

“The Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks — two teams linked to Butler — reportedly have not registered a tangible interest in pursuit of the Heat superstar,” Elliot wrote. “The Phoenix Suns, another potential Butler landing spot, realistically would need to include wing Bradley Beal in any deal with Miami.” But the Heat already rejected the addition of Beal back in 2023, according to Elliot.

Butler’s Reported Cautionary Message to Warriors

According to a report by ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst, Butler has issued a message of warning for the Warriors and, in fact, any other team looking at him in a trade scenario.

Windhorst stated that not only will Butler refuse to sign a contract extension with the Heat as he made clear last summer, he will not sign an extension with any team.

“His position is that no matter what happens, he is going to be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2025,” Windhorst reported on his Hoop Collective podcast Monday.

In other words, even if the Warriors acquire Butler, they will do so only under a “win now” scenario and must keep that in mind when they put together a package of players and draft picks top get Butler, if they do. The Warriors will be potentially sacrificing their future for a better shot at their eighth NBA Championship and what would be their fifth in the last 11 seasons — the Steph Curry era.

The Warriors first two NBA Championships came in 1947 and 1956 when the team was located in Philadephia. The franchise won a third title in 1975, their fourth season as the Golden State Warriors, before winning championships in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.