Report: Heat could abandon Suns option in Jimmy Butler trade saga

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There was a point in the ongoing fiasco between star forward Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat when it seemed as if the Phoenix Suns were the favorites to land him via trade. Not long ago, the Suns parlayed an unprotected first-round pick into three conditional firsts, and Butler even rocked shoes with Phoenix’s team colors when Miami played the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 21.

However, with the Feb. 6 trade deadline imminent, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst maybe poured cold water on the notion that Butler will soon be dealt to Phoenix.

“With a couple of days left until the deadline, the Suns’ dream is alive, but it’s going to require a complex alliance,” Windhorst wrote. “The Heat are very motivated to move Butler and could abandon the Suns option and send him somewhere else. (Golden State remains a possibility if the Heat run out of time and then let the new team deal with the fallout.)”

The Suns are amid their second season with a star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal in the fold, yet Phoenix has achieved very little in that span. Phoenix was eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs and now seems to be in danger of missing out on the 2025 NBA Playoffs entirely.

Phoenix is just one win above the .500 mark on the season after all at 25-24, and it also sits as the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference.

Considering the Suns have yet to win a playoff series with Durant, Beal and Booker all on the roster and seem to be trending towards another lost season, the rationale for breaking up the trio prior to the deadline is evident.

Beal probably stands out as the most expendable of the three players with Feb. 6 nearing. He’s averaging only 17.1 points per game in his second season with the Suns and has been coming off the pine for the team as of late.

But in light of the report from Windhorst, the Suns might have to explore other methods to improve their roster outside of trading for Butler.

It’s still hard to imagine that Butler will be a member of the Heat after the deadline. He has spent much of the past month or so out of the team’s lineup due to several suspensions. Butler hasn’t taken the floor for the Heat since he suited up in that aforementioned contest against the Trail Blazers.

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Jesse is a 23-year-old sports journalist with extensive experience covering the NBA.