In news that will surprise absolutely nobody, the long and drawn out affair of where Jimmy Butler is going to play basketball after wearing out his welcome with the Miami Heat shows no signs of slowing down. The Phoenix Suns have long been spoken about as one of his preferred destinations, with a deal always looking unlikely.
Perhaps the Suns should think twice about such a trade as well, after all they have won three straight games and appear to have stumbled onto a more cohesive formula to win games. This revolves around bringing Bradley Beal off the bench, and simply not playing center Jusuf Nurkic at all.
The latest on Butler is interesting for The Valley's hope of landing him.
Nothing stays a secret for long in the league these days - not with the amount of insiders who operate in each city - and the Heat are no exception. The latest rumors claiming that Butler and team President Pat Riley had a face-to-face meeting, in which Butler let the organization know he will not be signing a new deal with the team this summer.
ESPN reporting: Suspended Heat star Jimmy Butler tells Pat Riley in face-to-face meeting that he wants to be traded and will not sign a new deal in Miami.https://t.co/fUVNRKt0zo
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 14, 2025
This does actually change the picture - and in favor of the Suns at that - because the Heat would surely rather move Butler now to get something back, as opposed to letting him walk for nothing in the offseason. Then again, they could do plenty with the cap space left behind should the 35-year-old choose his next team in the summer, instead of taking on Beal's massive contract.
But that's not quite how the league works - and assuming Beal waived his no-trade clause and went to South Beach - the Heat would then have a player under contract for two more years that they could potentially move down the road for something else. So will continue the merry-go-round of stars in the NBA, whether they have a no-trade clause or not.
Butler is forcing Riley's hand now - and although he has never been one to back down and give in to the demands of a star - at this point it makes too much sense to just cut ties with the player. He has outstayed his welcome with other organizations in the past, and it is not like the Heat are on their way to what would be a third NBA Finals with Butler leading the way this season.
Riley would surely rather send Butler anywhere but one of his top choices in the Suns - but if another better deal was out there - wouldn't the franchise have made that trade already? Which makes the prospect of Butler somehow landing in Phoenix more possible than ever before, not to mention the fact that franchises tend to try and do right by stars, so that they have a shot at the next one.
This is best outcome the Suns could have hoped for with the trade deadline inching ever closer - and although the Beal issue is still a difficult hurdle to overcome - it remains to be seen how he feels coming off the bench. Whether it is the Heat or a third team, there are places Beal could go and feel more valued, not to mention play more minutes. Watch this space, the wheels may now be in motion.