NBA Trade Rumors: Raptors are surprise suitor for Warriors All-Star, Jazz and Clippers make deal

The Jazz and Clippers made a move, while rumors about what the Warriors’ package for Jimmy Butler — and how the Raptors might facilitate a deal with the Heat — fell into place.

The 2025 NBA Trade Deadline is less than a week away, which means that teams around the league are finally starting to get active as they look to get things done before the buzzer.

Saturday saw one trade go down, and another team get in the mix for a few potential targets. Let’s dive into the latest.

Could Andrew Wiggins end up on the… Raptors?

According to the latest from veteran NBA insider Marc Stein, it’s possible that Toronto could look to bring the one-time Golden State Warriors All-Star home to The North.

Stein, writing in his Substack, reported that the Raptors — if they don’t consummate their previously rumored pursuit of New Orleans Pelicans wing Brandon Ingram — are potentially willing to bring in Andrew Wiggins if the Miami Heat hold fast on not wanting him in a trade sending Jimmy Butler to the Bay Area:

The Raptors, though, have likewise been widely billed as a team eager to participate in a Butler trade if possible. Amid a belief that the Golden State Warriors continue to weigh whether to commit fully to the pursuit of Butler — which would almost certainly require the Warriors to include Andrew Wiggins as a centerpiece of their trade package to sufficiently reach Butler’s $48.8 million salary this season — there is an equally strong expectation that the Raptors would try to insert themselves into such a trade construction to acquire the Canadian Wiggins.

Allowing the Raptors to do so is the $23 million expiring contract of Bruce Brown, which could be routed to the Heat along with Warriors expirings, Jonathan Kuminga and draft picks in order to allow Toronto to add another Canadian, the Heat to get assets for Butler, and the Warriors to get another star for one last run with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.

And just to prove there are deals that would work around this construction financially, below is one possible variant I put together on Fanspo:

via https://fanspo.com/nba/trade-machine

The Heat would have to cut two players to make this work, and there would obviously be draft picks included to Miami (and possibly Toronto), but the above is simply to demonstrate that it is possible for these teams to make a three-team deal work logistically without too much difficulty.

Making a construction along those lines semi-realistic is Stein and his colleague Jake Fischer’s reporting that Miami would like to add Brown in a Butler deal (as opposed to taking on Wiggins’ multiple years of remaining salary):

If the Raptors could cement themselves as a facilitating team in a potential Butler-to-Golden State trade, offering Brown to the Heat to try to acquire Wiggins is one obvious pitch. The Heat, for starters, have already been revealed by Fischer here a week ago to hold interest in the former key contributor to Denver’s 2022-23 championship team who likewise happened to play collegiate for the nearby Hurricanes. No less important: Miami is reluctant in the extreme to take back any player in a Butler trade whose salary strays beyond the 2025-26 season. Wiggins holds a $30.1 million player option for 2026-27.

It remains to be seen if Butler is the route the Warriors will go — or if any of these teams make any moves, frankly — but the dots are starting to be connected on what a hypothetical trade landing the disgruntled (and suspended) star in The Bay could look like.

The Clippers and Jazz tip-off trade week

Other NBA teams have already made a few moves in the leadup to the NBA trade deadline, but we officially got our first trade of February (and the first in the week of the deadline) when the Utah Jazz and LA Clippers put together a small deal sending the expiring contract of PJ Tucker along with Mo Bamba, a second-round pick and cash for vets Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills, according to ESPN.

With apologies to Tucker, who we named as the most likely Clipper to be moved at the deadline last week and will likely be bought out by the Jazz, none of those names really move the needle on their face in 2025.

However, ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks broke down how this could be a precursor to another trade for the Clippers — who are currently 28-20 overall, just got Kawhi Leonard back, and may be looking to buy at the deadline — or at least let them add a contributor for their postseason run in the buyout market:

For the Jazz, this is their second deal of the season as they look to race to the bottom of the standings — and top of the loaded 2025 draft featuring Cooper Flagg — and grab assets like financial flexibility and picks while opening up minutes for their younger players like Kyle Filipowski.

From our friends over at SLC Dunk:

By moving our veterans, the Jazz are opening up more minutes for younger players like Kyle Filipowski. The rookie big man brings a unique skill set with his ability to stretch the floor, handle the ball, and make plays offensively. With more playing time, Flip will have the opportunity to develop against NBA competition, refine his defensive instincts, and grow into a key piece of Utah’s frontcourt rotation in the future. This shift aligns with the Jazz’ long-term focus on developing their young core, allowing Filipowski and other prospects to gain valuable experience as the team evaluates its future.

These are almost assuredly not going to be the last moves and whispers before Thursday, Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. ET’s trade deadline, so stay tuned to SB Nation and our network of team sites for the latest.