The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat are potentially still discussing the framework of a trade that sends Jimmy Butler to the Suns. However, the deal might require additional finesse to get across due to Bradley Beal’s contract. The Heat have been unwilling to accept Beal’s supermax contract in exchange for Butler, but there is a way to make acquiring Beal more appealing for the Heat.
The Los Angeles Lakers can get involved and help the Heat open up more space by taking a veteran guard off their hands who has disappointed this season while opening up a much-needed scoring role which Beal would be better-suited for. In addition, the Heat can also land some frontcourt reinforcements and draft compensation which would be an incredible return for a star on an expiring contract who requested a trade.
Trade Details
Phoenix Suns Receive: Jimmy Butler ($48.7 million)
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Terry Rozier ($24.9 million), 2027 First-Round Pick (UTA/MIN/CLE)
Miami Heat Receive: Bradley Beal ($50.2 million), Rui Hachimura ($17.0 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.0 million), 2029 First-Round Pick (UTA/MIN/CLE)
The Lakers get to add a needed guard-scorer like Terry Rozier while also adding a first-round pick for facilitating this deal by letting go of Rui Hachimura to the Heat. The Heat land a versatile forward, a high-scoring guard like Beal, and a former point guard Gabe Vincent who fits like a glove into their system. Meanwhile, the Suns complete their quest to land Jimmy Butler.
The Suns Reach Their Final Destination
The Suns have worked hard to somehow have a contending roster with few future draft assets and no roster flexibility. They somehow added Nick Richards to the squad to have a four-center roster, as they still have no suitable destination to send Jusuf Nurkic. They also dealt their only remaining draft pick for three lesser-valuable ones which could come in handy in making this deal work and bringing them Butler.
Butler is averaging 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists this season. His numbers aren’t representative of his talent as he’s been sandbagging on the Heat. If he joins the Suns, he might just be the perfect third star to have alongside high-volume scorers like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
Butler will be able to fill a lot of their defensive gaps by being a hustle player, elite defender, competent rebounder, and even an on-ball playmaker. His game is far more versatile than Beal’s, although he might not be as good a shooter as Beal. But they’re comparable scorers with Butler still excelling in downhill situations.
His scoring numbers likely won’t spike beyond the 17 he has this season, but his overall impact will greatly enhance the Suns into being credible Playoff threats.
The Lakers Land A Much-Needed Guard And A Future Asset
The Lakers have limited avenues of improving their roster themselves, clearly unwilling to commit to LeBron James and Anthony Davis at their current rate of success. James and Davis are already making their peace with another trade deadline where their GM chooses to make no moves, but they could get some sort of reinforcements as part of a facilitating team.
Terry Rozier is averaging 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in a tough season for the Heat, failing to fit into their schemes without Butler’s on-court influence and primarily due to the increase in Tyler Herro’s influence. He hasn’t looked comfortable in Miami, but the Lakers could try and extract the talent everyone knows he has.
Playing alongside LeBron and Davis will give Rozier more offensive space on the court. The offensive style the Lakers are trying to play will fit Rozier well, as he has the confidence to let shots fly while being a dynamic on-ball passer when required. He could be a star sixth man on a Lakers team that gets all its guard production from Austin Reaves alone.
The pick they receive could have potential value in another trade which finally brings the Lakers the center they’ve wanted since the summer.
The Heat Accept Bradley Beal
The Heat’s rejection of Bradley Beal seems entirely based on the contract of the star and nothing else. When you think about it, a middling offensive team like the Heat could definitely use Beal to spruce up their capabilities as the team has become overly dependent on Tyler Herro to create offense. They need a player like Beal in the backcourt to share offensive responsibilities to make them a threat.
Beal is averaging 17.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists amidst a fluctuating role on the Suns. He is no longer wanted in Phoenix, but Beal has wanted to play for the Heat for years. There’s no question he’d be motivated to live up to his contract value in Miami and embrace the team’s culture to become a standout veteran who also helps develop Herro into a No. 1 option.
Rui Hachimura is averaging 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds this season, adding another big body to the frontcourt to play the Heat’s trademark style. Gabe Vincent was born out of Heat culture and returns to the team, after two rough seasons with the Lakers.
This deal also lands the Heat the most valuable remaining pick the Suns have, so it incentivizes them by giving them three win-now players and a draft pick. Overthinking Beal’s contract right now might be foolish, as if he’s successful on the Heat, it could lead to greater team success and a potential future deal on the table as well.
All 3 Teams Get Something They Need
The Suns want Jimmy Butler and it’s honestly the only star-level player they can come close to acquiring. It does make sense as a star like Butler would fit the Suns better than Beal ever did, as his presence created a redundancy in skill-set alongside Devin Booker.
The Lakers are unsure about this being the season where they mortgage their assets to win-now, so they can pull off a half-measure by selling high on Hachimura and filling a different roster need. They have Dorian Finney-Smith and the returning Jarred Vanderbilt to take Hachimura’s spot, but there literally is no playable guard outside Austin Reaves right now, so Rozier would be a welcome addition.
The Heat get three players to help them stay competitive this season alongside a draft pick. That’s insane given Butler is a player who desperately wants out and most teams in this case would be forced to settle for even worse packages.
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