Jimmy Butler has had the spotlight on him since he returned from his seven-game suspension and his sneakers caught the eye during Tuesday’s game between the Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers. With rumors swirling regarding a trade to the Phoenix Suns, Butler wore sneakers with their “Valley” colors.
Jimmy sending a message with his Suns-themed shoes from tonight’s game? 👀 https://t.co/tMNsm2mbJs pic.twitter.com/kENnM5jjk7
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 22, 2025
As mentioned in the quoted post, the Suns acquired three first-round picks in a trade with the Utah Jazz earlier in the day by parting with their 2031 first-round pick. It was widely speculated that they made the move to acquire Butler and he has added fuel to that fire by wearing those sneakers.
It should be pointed out, though, that this is not the first time Butler has worn these sneakers. He played in them in a game against the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 12, 2024 as well.
Butler didn’t play all too well against the Raptors with just 11 points and that was the case against the Trail Blazers as well. The six-time All-Star had just 13 points (4-9 FG), four rebounds, and eight assists as the Heat lost 116-107 to drop to 21-21 on the season.
Regardless of whether Butler has been sending a message with the sneakers or his passive play, it has been clear for a while now that he wants to go to Phoenix. NBA insider Brian Windhorst reported Butler’s No. 1 goal is to get to the Suns. Windhorst added, however, that it wasn’t a guarantee that the 35-year-old would end up at his preferred destination.
A Butler trade had seemed difficult to pull for the Suns but this deal they struck with the Jazz might have made it possible. According to The Athletic, there is now growing optimism that he’ll get to Phoenix before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
“In the wake of the Suns’ deal with the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, in which Phoenix tripled its lot of available first-round picks, a source close to the Miami Heat star said there is rising optimism that he’s closer to reaching his desired destination — Phoenix — as a result.”
Not only do the Suns have more assets now, but they might have also found a new home for Bradley Beal. Beal was always going to be the one to be shipped out in a Butler trade but his gigantic contract and no-trade clause made matters difficult.
Well, Beal is now reportedly open to joining the Milwaukee Bucks, and according to that report from The Athletic, they might be interested in bringing him in too. The reasons are that the Bucks hope to shed enough salary to get under the second apron and also want to add another talented player next to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. So, it could be that the stars are aligning for Butler and the Suns.
NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the Heat are having productive trade conversations regarding Butler. He also mentioned that as many as five teams could be involved in the trade in total and this could well end up being one of the biggest mid-season deals in recent history.
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