The Phoenix Suns have emerged as a late contender in the potential Jimmy Butler sweepstakes, with the Miami Heat superstar expected to be on the trade block this season ahead of being the headliner of the 2025 free agency class. With the Suns looking at Butler to be the final piece to push them toward a championship, there’s a major problem in getting a deal done.
The Suns can’t get a deal done without including Bradley Beal due to the $50.2 million on his contract this season, one that the Heat have previously shown a lack of interest in. In addition, Beal is one of the two players in the NBA with a no-trade clause in their contract, with LeBron James being the other.
Beal can refuse any trade he’s included in, so the only way for the Suns to acquire Butler is to find a third team who wants Beal and the guard also needs to want to play for them. Whatever assets the Suns can get for a 31-year-old owed $160.9 million till 2027 with a no-trade clause will need to go to the Heat as compensation for Butler, in addition to whatever the Suns can cough up from their end as well.
The Suns are a second-apron team with a team payroll of $226.2 million this season, the highest in the NBA. Any deal they make needs to have equal players and salaries going out and coming in, which further restricts their flexibility in a deal like this.
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are virtually untradeable for the franchise given their status as the two faces of the team, but Beal commands a larger salary than either player and is decidedly the third star on the team. With the similarities in how he and Booker impact the game offensively, Beal’s fit on the Suns has been questioned since he joined the franchise.
Trading either Booker or Durant for Butler would be ludicrous, so unless the Suns can find a creative solution for Bradley Beal, the team is unlikely to interest the Heat in a deal.
Beal is averaging 17.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists this season, with his production dipping each year for the last four seasons. Butler is averaging 18.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists, and could be the perfect forward to play as a bridge between Booker and Durant while also setting a strong defensive tone on the perimeter.
Which Third Team Could Help The Suns Out?
If the Suns can get this deal done, they genuinely need some team to actively help them out by taking responsibility for Beal’s contract. His salary no longer matches his production, so just taking that on wouldn’t be the best idea for most franchises right now. But with Beal’s no-trade clause on top of that, I’d argue it’s one of the worst contracts in the NBA right now.
Ideally, they’d need a rebuilding team willing to take Beal on as a leadership figure who can help them find the path toward contention again. But it’s hard to imagine a world where Beal is enthusiastically waiving his no-trade clause to end up playing for the Detroit Pistons or Brooklyn Nets. So, the solution has to come from a franchise in an attractive market who are somewhat competitive.
The Orlando Magic could use an offensive injection in their backcourt and could have trade pieces they need to move off which they could have the Suns route to the Heat as compensation for Butler, such as Cole Anthony, Jonathan Isaac, and Gary Harris. It’s hard to imagine a player haul better than that for Beal with his current contract and production. Picks would also be scarce in this situation.
The Suns would have to transport all three players to the Heat, potentially keeping Anthony on their roster and moving Grayson Allen to Miami instead as a three-and-D swingman who’s compatible with the culture of the franchise. But the Magic likely would have reservations against making this deal given it could be counter-intuitive for the franchise and that they’re directly helping their rivals get better.
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