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While the Miami Heat suspended Jimmy Butler for seven games and said they are open to trade offers, an actual move seems like anything but a guarantee at this point.
“It's harder than people think,” one team's head of basketball operations said in a Saturday text from Steve Bulpett by Heavy. “First of all, Jimmy's 35 years old and doesn't have a lot of value. And then the team that would love him the most is probably Phoenix, because they're so bad and they have the worst contract in (Bradley) Beal. Other than that, I don't know of any team that would wanted to fight Jimmy Butler, except for teams that just want to opt out of the contract—and Miami won't go along with that, I just don't know how that's going to work.”
It's not the first time the Phoenix Suns have been mentioned by an NBA insider Jake Fischer reporting Wednesday that every NBA team official he spoke with believes that's the team Butler wants to join.
NBA insider Marc Stein he also called the Suns “the team most interested in trading for Butler” and noted that they would be willing to extend his contract.
However, Stein also said that Phoenix will likely need a third team willing to take on Beal's contract, which is set pay him $53.7 million next season with a $57.1 million player option for 2026-27.
That's probably not intriguing to many teams.
Moreover, it's not like Miami has a ton of leverage that openly admits it's willing to trade Butler after suspending him. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported the offers the Heat received “stink,” suggesting no immediate trade is on the horizon:
First Take @FirstTake
“Jimmy Butler isn't going to sign an extension with any team. And so, because teams know that, they're offering the Heat exactly that on a plate. There's only one team willing to pay Jimmy Butler exactly what he wants, and that's the Phoenix Suns.”
—@WindhorstESPN pic.twitter.com/q8LZLPOFOV
For his part, Butler didn't seem thrilled about the prospect of staying with the Heat when he said he likely won't find his joy on the basketball court by staying put:
The whole situation adds up to a player who seems to want out, a team that would be willing to trade him, and very little leverage.
Butler being 35 years old also makes a trade even more difficult, as any team that acquires him would have to believe that he can still be a top producer in the most important moments even at this stage of his career.
With all that said, it wouldn't be surprising to see him stay with the Heat until the end of the season.
