The Miami Heat are interested in Memphis Grizzlies‘ underutilized wing John Konchar, according to NBA insider Marc Stein, amid tension between them and their franchise star Jimmy Butler.
“The Nets, league sources say, are likewise interested in Memphis’ John Konchar, who has also attracted interest from Orlando and Miami and is emerging as a name that must be monitored as the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaches,” Stein wrote on “The Stein Line” on December 26. “Konchar is in Year 1 of a three-year, $18.5 million contract with Memphis and is perceived as available.”
Konchar plays the same position as Butler and is seven years younger. The Grizzlies wing is also way cheaper than Butler, who is seeking a $110 million, two-year extension that will run through until he’s 37.
Is John Konchar a Poor Man’s Jimmy Butler?
Butler, however, is head and shoulders above Konchar and is a proven playoff performer. But Konchar, who has a 6-foot-8 wingspan, is the better defender in all advanced defensive metrics, per Crafted NBA, except for versatility and relative personal fouls.
Butler is the stronger defender, with the physical tools to bang bodies with frontcourt players, while Konchar can only defend one through three spots.
But if Butler leaves Miami, Jaime Jaquez Jr. is the best bet to slide to the starting lineup, with Konchar as his possible backup if the Heat successfully trades for the Grizzlies’ reserve wing. That is unless they send Butler to the Golden State Warriors, where they could get Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga in return.
The 28-year-old Konchar is averaging a career-low 2.5 points with 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 12.1 minutes off the bench, his second-lowest playing time since his rookie year. He is another undrafted wing whom they identified could grow under their strong player development program.
Pat Riley Stands Pat
Heat president Pat Riley attempted to end the Butler trade noise with a strong statement on December 26, a few hours before Stein reported their interest in Konchar.
“We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches. Therefore, we will make it clear – We are not trading Jimmy Butler,” Riley wrote in a statement on December 26.
The Butler trade rumors ramped up on Christmas when he didn’t attend Riley’s annual party for the team at his house, per The Miami Herald, which coincided with ESPN’s Shams Charania reporting that the six-time NBA All-Star “prefers trade out of Miami” ahead of the February 6 trade deadline.
Charania doubled down on his latest report on the developing situation in Miami involving Butler on the “NBA Countdown,” citing things began to unravel in the offseason when the Heat did not offer their franchise a star contract extension.
“They bypassed that did not extend him, and they lean more into their young, rising core — Bam Adebayo, an All-Star, and Tyler Herro,” Charania said. “And over the last three years, Jimmy Butler has wanted the Heat to go get him some help in that roster. They just have not been able to land that player. They’ve gone after Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving. They have not been able to land that next big fish with Jimmy Butler. The writing, in a lot of ways, is on the wall for the Heat and for Jimmy Butler.”
