The Jimmy Butler saga continues to rumble on over in Miami, and the Phoenix Suns are somehow still involved in the ordeal. Despite being a second apron team with little more than Bradley Beal and their 2031 first round pick to offer in return, the Suns remain one of the most talked about destinations for the 35-year-old.
Why you ask? Owner Mat Ishbia is reportedly more than willing to open up the cheque book to sign Butler to the extension he craves, and the same cannot be said for most other organizations in the league. Adding a third team to take on Beal's contract would be ideal here, only he has a no-trade clause and would likely shut down any destination. Not that one even exists for him right now.
Doing this would only prolong the Suns' misery though.
The idea of adding Butler in theory is a good one. He's a proven winner who fits better with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant than Beal. Which is unfair on the former Washington Wizards star as well, he's actually having a nice season statistically. The mix just doesn't work though, as proven by the fact the Suns are currently languishing in 12th spot in the Western Conference.
Back to this hypothetical situation though, and suppose Butler does land in Phoenix and is promptly signed to an extenstion at whatever massive number the two sides come to. Would that group as constructed right now have a chance at beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in a series? The Denver Nuggets even?
"If you're the Phoenix Suns, you've got to do everything you can to get your hands on Jimmy Butler."@stephenasmith believes the Suns should send Bradley Beal to Miami for Jimmy Butler 👀 pic.twitter.com/57TNQIXmI0
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 3, 2025
If you watched the Thunder absolutely strangle the Boston Celtics in what was one of the games of the season recently, you'll know that answer is a resounding no. The window for this group as currently constructed is incredibly small - if it even exists - and trading for an even older star in Butler wouldn't prop it open any more.
Really though the franchise should have learnt their lesson from the Beal deal, which is that the "Big 3" model of team building doesn't work anymore. The league is as deep as ever - and if you have two legitimate stars plus high level role players - then you have a better chance of winning versus how the Suns currently look.
There's a reason their backup center rotation across the last two seasons has consisted of Drew Eubanks and Mason Plumlee, and it was a minor miracle they even managed to sign Tyus Jones to a minimum contract. That's just not going to cut it against the best teams in the league, the drop off from player three to four is more steep in Phoenix than with any other above average group.
All the Suns would be doing if they turned Beal into Butler is prolong the agony of the inevitable rebuild. They'd be overpaying another star past their best, whereas with Beal at least the end is in sight. Two more years after this one, at $110 million. Why restart that process again with Butler, when we all know it is not the move that is going to take them over the top?
Giving up the only first round pick currently at their disposal is the other dreadful part of the equation. It is fair to point out that the organization could get a lot of them back if they moved on from Durant or Booker. But rather than go right down to the studs, why not keep that pick? After all, the track record of this front office in recent years has been good.
Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro were hits, while Toumani Camara - sent to the Portland Trail Blazers in the trade that netted them Jusuf Nurkic - was the best of the trio. Even if not to use themselves, the next disgruntled star is never too far away. You can bet they won't be 35 and seeking a max contract either. The Suns need to make a change, but adding Butler would only elongate their suffering.