Jimmy Butler Trade Rumors: Warriors 'Back in the Mix' After Heat Lower Asking Price

The Golden State Warriors reportedly may once again be part of the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes.

According to Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports, the Warriors are "one of several teams back in the mix for Jimmy Butler now that the [Miami] Heat have lowered their asking price."

ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst appeared on SportsCenter (h/t HoopsHype) on Monday night and said he believed some teams that thought they were out on Butler may be back in the running to trade for him due to the Heat and Phoenix Suns being unable to agree to a deal.

Windhorst added that a team may be able to land Butler "at a cheap price" prior to the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline.

The 35-year-old Butler is in the midst of his sixth season with the Heat, but it has been a tumultuous one, to say the least.

Earlier this month, Miami suspended Butler for seven games for "multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team," in the wake of his public comments suggesting he wanted to be traded.

As part of the suspension statement, the Heat announced that they would listen to trade offers for Butler.

Butler returned to play in three games after his seven-game suspension ended, but he was handed another two-game suspension after missing a team flight.

On Monday, Butler was suspended once again after walking out of practice. The latest suspension is indefinite, meaning the six-time All-Star may have played his final game as a member of the Heat.

After averaging 19.9 points per game or better in each of his first five seasons in Miami, Butler's scoring average is down to 17.0 this season, which is his lowest since the 2013-14 campaign.

Still, Butler is contributing in other ways with 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 steals per contest, plus he is shooting a career-best 54.0 percent from the field.

It is easy to see why a team with championship aspirations would want to trade for Butler, as he led the Heat to the NBA Finals twice and has averaged 24.7 points per game in four playoff runs as a member of the Heat.

The Warriors are still led by a pair of four-time NBA champions in Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, but they largely have a young supporting cast comprised of Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Brandin Podziemski.

Adding another accomplished veteran like Butler could be the type of move that solidifies their status as a playoff team.

Entering play Tuesday, the Warriors are only 11th in the Western Conference at 22-23, meaning they wouldn't even make the postseason play-in tournament if the season ended today.

They are just 1.5 games out of 10th, though, which suggests one solid winning streak could get them right back in the thick of things.

If the asking price for Butler isn't particularly high, then the Warriors won't have much to lose since they are built to win now and have little incentive to transition into a rebuild with Curry and Green still in the fold.