All of a sudden, the Chicago Bulls could emerge as a pretty big part of the Jimmy Butler deal at the NBA Trade Deadline.
As we inch closer and closer to the NBA Trade Deadline, one of the bigger storylines will revolve around the Miami Heat and whether they'll be able to find a trade of Jimmy Butler that makes sense. In theory, both sides desperately need a divorce from each other but Jimmy's contract (and reported preferences) could make a trade difficult. That's why it's far from a foregone conclusion that one will be made before the deadline.
But, again, both sides desperately need that to happen. One of the big sticking points in a potential trade of Jimmy revolves around whether his preferred landing spot, the Phoenix Suns, will find a soft spot for Bradley Beal. It's not just his huge contract (due $110 million over the next two seasons) that prevents a potential deal from happening, it's also the fact that he has a no-trade clause.
At least up until now, the Heat have had no interest in being open to acquiring Beal in a potential deal of Jimmy. If that doesn't change between now and the trade deadline, that means the Suns will have to explore other avenues to find a landing spot for Beal. According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, one team that has at least had conversations about the possibility of emerging as a landing spot for Beal is the Chicago Bulls. It would revolve around the Bulls trading Zach LaVine elsewhere and Chicago being compensated with Beal and draft compensation.
The Jimmy Butler deal could be extremely complicated
In fairness to the speculation, Windy did mention that it may not happen. But the fact that it's merely been discussed is notable. Maybe the two sides don't ever get back to those conversations but at this point, it has to be at least an option on the table - of course, under the assumption that Beal would even consider waiving his no-trade clause to be traded to the Bulls.
If the Suns truly want to acquire Jimmy and want to avoid the possibility of another team jumping in at the last minute, they certainly have their work cut out for them over the next week and a half. It's no guarantee that they'll be able to find a landing spot for Beal but if they do, it could put them in a prime position to land Jimmy in a blockbuster deal at the deadline. All of a sudden, the Bulls could play a big part in that.
Buckle up, as we head into the final stretch before the NBA Trade Deadline, it's almost impossible to predict how the next week and a half will unfold - especially on the Jimmy front.