Jimmy Butler reportedly wants to go to the Phoenix Suns and the team appears to be desperate to land him as well. NBA insider Marc Stein was told that the Suns want Butler “bad” but Bradley Beal’s contract is a huge obstacle in their quest to land him.
“Phoenix wants Butler and Butler wants Phoenix — ‘I’ve heard they want him bad,’ one league source says of the Suns — but the obstacles preventing such a swap continue to be considerable. Before Bradley Beal’s obsessively discussed no-trade clause can even come into play, Miami and Phoenix need a third team willing to absorb Beal’s monster contract to emerge.”
Beal is currently in the third year of a massive five-year, $251 million deal. He has a $57.1 million player option for 2026-27 which he will inevitably pick up, so it is a big financial commitment. There aren’t too many teams that want to take on that contract and the no-trade clause further complicates matters.
Suns insider John Gambadoro reports Beal is expected to waive his no-trade clause for the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and Denver Nuggets. Gambadoro believes some other teams might work as well but what’s common between the three teams he brought up is that none of them are in a rebuild.
Beal doesn’t appear interested in going to a rebuilding team and those are the only ones who might be willing to take on that contract. It has been widely reported that the Heat have no interest in the three-time All-Star, so the chances of a direct swap for Butler, who is averaging 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2024-25, appear to be next to none.
So, what can the Suns do? Well, we came up with a three-team deal that sees the Suns land Butler with some help from the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons are currently 20-19 on the season and perhaps Beal, who is averaging 17.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game in 2024-25, would be open to going there.
If the Suns are somehow able to find that third team for Beal and land Butler, they’d certainly be a more formidable unit. While he should provide a boost to the offense, his impact will be felt most on the defensive end.
The Suns have a 115.1 defensive rating this season, which ranks 22nd in the NBA. Butler isn’t the elite defender he once was but is still pretty good on that end of the floor. He would elevate the Suns but would he make them a serious title contender? That’s a bit doubtful. This isn’t a great roster and while the six-time All-Star fills some holes, he doesn’t fill all of them.
For now, though, the Suns and Butler have to continue on their separate paths. The 35-year-old has served five games of the seven-game suspension slapped on him by the Heat and is set to return against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 17. As for the Suns, they are now 19-19 on the season and take on the Atlanta Hawks next at State Farm Arena on Tuesday at 7:30 PM ET.
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