Pros/Cons of Suns Acquiring Jimmy Butler

The Phoenix Suns' potential pursuit of Jimmy Butler doesn't come risk-free.

Nov 6, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) and Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) chase a loose ball during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The last 18 hours have been extremely fascinating for the Phoenix Suns, as ESPN's Shams Charania dropped a disputed bombshell report that the Suns are one of Jimmy Butler's preferred destinations if he were to get traded by the Miami Heat prior to the trade deadline in February.

While Butler could be a home-run hit for the Suns if a deal were to be secured, this prospective move doesn't come without risks.

Below, we will dive into a couple of pros and cons tied to a potential move.

Pro: Defense Gets Boost

To be clear, this isn't the Butler that was potentially the best perimeter defender in basketball - as he is ceding over 50% efficiency to his defensive assignments this season.

However, Butler brings a mentality and physical edge that will fit in very nicely to a squad that desparately needs it. Butler projects to enhance the infrastructure of a defense that is heavily dependent on Ryan Dunn, Royce O'Neale, and Kevin Durant in its current state.

The addition of Butler would only leave Phoenix devoid of a reliable rim protector, although Oso Ighodaro could develop into that.

Con: Free Agency Dilemma

Butler is very likely to enter free agency in the summer of 2025 regardless of how this situation unfolds - so this could become a true rental situation.

While the team that acquires Butler should have the inside track to retain him in free agency, there would be no guarantees - and making this trade could come as a massive risk.

If Butler were to depart Phoenix after half a season, they would be left scrambling to rebuild a roster that is already hamstrung by second-apron restrictions - and would have even less assets at their disposal than before.

This has be something that is taken into consideration.

Pro: Low-Usage, High Impact Offensively

Butler owns one of the lowest usage rates among star players in the league, posting a 20.8% rate through 17 games played.

His impact far supersedes the volume - Butler has an assist percentage of 23.6 and a true shooting percentage of 65.2%. Butler also shoots 68% from inside 5 feet on nearly 6 attempts per game in the range - which would help the low volume of attempts at the rim that the Suns typically put out on a nightly basis.

The moral of the story? Butler doesn't need the ball in high doses to be productive in virtually every aspect of the game.

Con: Not Great Shooter

On the contrary to the overall offensive impact, Butler isn't a great floor spacer or high-volume three-point shooter.

While the Heat star has shot above league average in the last three seasons from behind the arc, he doesn't shoot a particularly high volume relative to any era. That doesn't necessarily bode the best next to Devin Booker - who has only shot 33.5% from range this season.

The opposing perspective is that Butler's ability to pressure the rim, initiate contact, and complete difficult passes in traffic will only enhance the shooting profile of this squad.

O'Neale, Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones, and others could benefit greatly from this - Butler's attacking mentality could play into Mike Budenholzer's offense quite well.