Jimmy Butler’s trade saga might be one of the most chaotic standoffs we’ve seen in the NBA in a long while. The aftermath of his declaration of wanting out has left the league churning rumors of the future of the team and the star. It has also spurred an almost unceasing amount of rumors linking Butler to various teams. The biggest name, still, has been Phoenix Suns. It’s also the team, insiders revealed, the Heat star favors. Unfortunately for him, the Suns are in no position to execute any trades right now.
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Their last dealing in the market saw them trade their 2031 first-rounder to the Utah Jazz for three first-round picks. Sources believe the Suns will use those picks to trade for improvements in their roster. Of course, Bradley Beal’s no-trade clause presents an issue, but ESPN’s Marc Stein believes the Suns will find a way to pull off a few moves at the deadline.
He joined Adam Mares on the ‘All-NBA’ podcast, claiming the Suns’ lofty hopes and current situation all point to them making some moves. He added that despite their obvious interest in Butler, and how bleak that situation looks, the Suns have to make some moves to salvage what has been a horror show.
“They want Jimmy Butler and they’re having a really tough time putting a deal together to get him. I’m sure we’ll see Phoenix do something else before the buzzer because they’re nowhere near where they wanna be.”
The easiest way out for the Suns is to get rid of Jusuf Nurkic. The Bosnian has fallen out of favor with Mark Budenholzer, and his $19 million dollar contract poses another problem. Stein believes the Suns will find some way to package him to a team, either for another player or simply to dump his contract and reduce their taxes.
Phoenix’s biggest obstacle is still Beal and his no-trade clause. While the Suns and Butelr have mutual interest, a move cannot materialize if Beal doesn’t waive the clause from his contract, as he did in Washington.
The Suns are adamant on Jimmy Butler
Stein admitted that despite the odds against them, the Suns seem convinced they’ll be able to land Jimmy Butler before the window closes. A few things do work in their favor here. Beal’s original no-trade clause in Washington had the Heat listed as a team he’d be open to joining if the Wizards wanted to move him.
A straight-up trade is simply out of the question, as the Heat have not shown even the slightest interest in the guard. Their best bet would be to rope other teams into this deal in order to convince Beal to forego his tricky clause.
While this entire situation develops in the background, expect the Suns to make a few moves in the trade window because the ownership is desperate to turn around the season that has unfolded until now.
