If you haven’t heard by now, Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler is trying as hard as he can to get shipped out. With two weeks until the trade deadline, the enigmatic All-Star is up against the clock. However, there’s a belief that a trade could eventually materialize for Butler, who’s been angling to land with the Phoenix Suns.
If so, that deal is expected to morph into a mega-transaction. Again, the Heat and Suns are assumed to be two of the principal teams involved. There are rumors that suggest the Toronto Raptors could get involved using Bruce Brown’s expiring contract. The Milwaukee Bucks could also figure into the deal, biting the bullet on Bradley Beal’s contract.
Mega Jimmy Butler Trade Causing Holding Pattern?
While waiting for the other shoe to drop, several teams have been put into a holding pattern. As one anonymous assistant general manager puts it, “we have a deal basically done, but the other team could have a four- or five-team trade involving Butler. So, they need to hold for now” (h/t Spotrac’s Keith Smith).
Talking to teams this week, a theme emerged that the Jimmy Butler situation is holding up the trade market some.
One assistant GM told me his team’s version: “We have a deal basically done, but the other team could be in a four- or five-team trade involving Butler. So, they need…
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) January 24, 2025
“…That’s going to be such a big trade that we all just have to wait it out,” the executive concludes.
With that being said, Butler’s trade has to move forward quickly. Indeed, by the end of next week, multiple teams will move forward with their plans regardless of whether he’s involved in the deal.
On the below:
Each team I talked to said that at the end of next week (5-7 days from the trade deadline) is when everyone will start moving on if there isn’t traction on a multi-team trade involving Butler. As one exec put it: “Eventually, you have to get your own work done.” https://t.co/bZ1FodOysu
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) January 24, 2025
“Eventually, you have to get your own work done,” another executive tells Smith.
A Tangled Web
The framework for a trade involving Butler is complex for myriad reasons.
As with any transaction, player value comes into question. There’s also the issue of navigating around the CBA rules, with teams like the Suns handicapped by the second apron. Those obstacles have limited the options that both the Heat and Butler have as they look to finalize their divorce.
If Phoenix really does want Butler though, they only have two choices. They can either try to find a trade suitor for Bradley Beal or gut their depth.
Frankly, it may be more difficult to accomplish the former, as Beal has one of the richest contracts in the NBA. To that point, the Bucks and Chicago Bulls have been suggested as potential suitors. However, neither Central Division team truly has a need for the St. Louis native.
Perhaps a dark horse like the San Antonio Spurs or Atlanta Hawks will see Beal as the right co-star for the face of their franchise. Yet, without his stamp of approval, it may not matter who wants him. Or Butler, for that matter.
