NBA Rumors: If the recent news proves to be accurate, a Jimmy Butler trade to the Phoenix Suns has taken a major hit.
Slated to make his return to the Miami Heat lineup (after a second suspension this season), the team decided to suspend Jimmy Butler a third time. But this time around, this suspension was an indefinite one, signaling that the Heat hope to trade him before the February 6 NBA Trade Deadline. In all likelihood, the suspension will extend through the deadline. That's a certainty. What probably isn't is whether the Heat will find the right deal for Jimmy.
All across the league, it's pretty well-known that Jimmy, in his ideal world, would be traded to the Phoenix Suns at the deadline. And the Suns would very much want that. They've probably been the team most aggressively pursuing a potential deal for Jimmy thus far. However, if the recent news is any indication, a potential trade of Jimmy to the Suns has taken a huge hit.
According to recent reports, there doesn't appear to be much of a market for Bradley Beal, who the Suns would have to trade in any deal to land Jimmy. There was recent hope that perhaps the Chicago Bulls would be willing to take him on in a deal in an attempt to facilitate a Jimmy to Phoenix move. However, the Suns may be back to square one as it is now being reported that Beal would be unwilling to waive his no-trade clause for the Bulls.
There may not be a clear path for the Suns to trade for Jimmy
With how things stand at the moment, it's hard to envision how a Jimmy trade to the Suns is going to get done. If there are no natural landing spots for Beal (that he would also waive his no-trade clause for), there's zero chance they'll be able to make a move. Even if the reports are accurate that the Heat have lowered their asking price, it's hard to imagine that they'd be willing to take on Beal's contract. The only shot of that happening probably revolves around Phoenix sending their three tradable future first-round picks in the deal. Even then, I'm not sure it's a guarantee the Heat would accept it.
There's certainly still time for the Suns to get their ducks in a row but it does feel like it's going to be incredibly difficult for the right circumstances to emerge that would land Jimmy in Phoenix. At this point, if Jimmy does get traded, you'd have to imagine that it's probably going to come down to what mystery team emerges between now and the deadline to swipe him away from the Suns. It truly is starting to feel that way.