Suns 'Interested' In Cutting Ties With $251 Million Star In Favor Of Jimmy Butler

Anthony Pasciolla | 6 Hours Ago

Jan 8, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) and guard Bradley Beal (3) and forward Kevin Durant (35) stands on the floor during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns are the most recently reported preferred landing spot for Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler.

Just because Butler expresses interest in a certain destination, doesn't mean the organization has a desire to acquire him. This happened with the Houston Rockets, as general manager Rafael Stone shared the team "would be shocked if something changes this season."

This is not the case with the Suns. NBA Insider Brian Windhorst of ESPN shared how Phoenix's front office feels about the idea of trading for Butler.

"And by the way, I know the Suns have interest in Jimmy Butler," Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast. "This is not a controversial statement. It is not some sort of secrecy. Jimmy would like $100 million, and I think the Suns might give it to him."

"There's only three players that the Suns can trade for Jimmy Butler. Kevin Durant, Bradley. Beal and Devin Booker. That's it," Windhorst said. "That's the player [Beal] that you'd want to trade in a vacuum."

No trade can happen unless Beal is willing to go to Miami because of his no-trade clause.

Considering Booker's ties to the organization since 2015 and Durant's play since joining the team in 2023, Beal is the odd man out. The 31-year-old is unable to contribute at a high level outside of the scoring category, which has also taken a hit as the No. 3 option behind Booker and Durant. He is averaging his lowest points since 2017 (17.8) on 49.3 percent shooting.

With the Heat in control of where they trade Butler, it's tough to imagine a Beal-centered package is the one they choose.

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Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.