ESPN’s Brian Windhorst provided some interesting insight into the future of Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, revealing that he knows the Phoenix Suns have interest in the six-time All-Star.
“And by the way, I know that the Suns have interest in Jimmy Butler,” Windhorst said. “This is not a controversial statement. It is not some sort of secrecy.”
Windhorst continued.
“Jimmy would like 100 million,” he said. “And I think the Suns might give it to him. Let me just say a few things. So, there’s only three players that the Suns can trade for Jimmy Butler: Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. That’s it.”
Windhorst’s comments come on the heels of a report from NBA insider Shams Charania that Butler’s agent had indicated that the star would be open to a deal that sends him to Phoenix.
The Phoenix Suns are another team that Jimmy Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated in league circles that the six-time All-Star is open to as a destination while Miami listens to trade offers, sources tell ESPN, joining Dallas, Houston and Golden State. pic.twitter.com/QCXA2uEMXt
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 11, 2024
Lee has since fired back at Charania, claiming that his reporting is “complete and utter made up bulls—.”
Alright listen. I gave you a pass yesterday because I was busy but if you don’t stop putting my name on your complete and utter made up bullshit because you know you normally arent worth my time to acknowledge.. (continued) https://t.co/1KOXza9kUI
— Bernard Lee (@BernieoLee) December 11, 2024
Whether Butler wants to land with the Suns may be up in the air, but it appears that Phoenix would at least be interested in bringing in the star wing.
This season, Butler has appeared in 18 games for the Heat and is averaging 18.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 55.0 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from 3.
The Heat have played well as of late, winning four straight games to move into the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The player that the Suns would most likely want to trade for Butler is Beal, but that could be difficult since he has a no-trade clause in his contract. That means that the star guard would have to waive the no-trade clause to allow any deal to happen.
In addition to that, there is no guarantee that the Heat would want Beal as the return for Butler in a trade.
This season, Beal has played in just 15 games and is averaging 17.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from 3.
The Suns (14-11) are currently the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, but they have struggled when Durant has been out of the lineup, going just 1-9 in the 10 games that he’s missed in the 2024-25 campaign.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Heat and Suns ultimately make a deal that sends Butler to Phoenix during the 2024-25 season.
