Suns Insider Reveals When Jimmy Butler Trade Could Happen

The Phoenix Suns and Jimmy Butler are rumored to be a potential pairing - when could it happen?

Jan 6, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of the jersey of Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- There does appear to be substance to rumors of Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler wanting to join the Phoenix Suns ahead of the league's Feb. 6 trade deadline.

This afternoon, Suns insider John Gambadoro revealed Phoenix would be Butler's top option if the Heat were to actually deal him - which you can read more about here.

With Phoenix deep in the second apron of the luxury tax, a deal of this magnitude does get a bit tricky. Gambadoro appeared at the top of the hour on Arizona Sports' Burns and Gambo and dove deeper into the topic:

"So in making some calls and doing some homework on this, you can do a two team trade between the Suns and Miami. Yesterday we were under the belief that you probably have to include a third team, but you don't. I even talked to Bobby Marks yesterday for a little bit trying to figure this whole thing out," Gambadoro said.

"But all you have to do, Miami would just have to add a minimum player, basically any minimum player, to the deal, and you can make a trade work between the Phoenix Suns and the Miami Heat. So you would not need a third team to get a deal done. It would have to be [Bradley] Beal. It would have to be Beal," said Gambadoro.

With the Suns wanting to cling on to Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, Beal is the only piece to the puzzle that can make a deal come to fruition - though the star has a no-trade clause and ultimately holds the power.

That being said, yesterday Gambadoro did report that Beal would be willing to waive the clause.

So - when could the trade happen?

Not any time soon, says Gambadoro.

"Not now. The Phoenix Suns are 11-2 with Kevin Durant in the lineup and their guys, they're 11-2. They've struggled without Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant makes things easier for everybody else. The Phoenix Suns are very likely going to take the next 10 to 15 games to see who they are," he said.

"Are you the team that was 11-2 if Durant and everybody stays healthy, or are you the team that's 1-9 without Durant, or are you somewhere in the middle? In the next 15 games, if the Suns get everybody healthy, and they go 11-4, it's probably unlikely that they would explore a trade for Jimmy Butler.

"It's probably unlikely. If things mesh, they play well, things develop, I'm talking mid to late January. Give yourself 10, 15 games. If the Suns play the next 15 games and they're 8-7, I think then they start exploring, 'what do we have to do?' The Suns are going to try to win this year.

"... That trade is not going to be made now. It's not going to be made right now. It's going to be made after the Suns kind of figure out who they are, if the trade would happen at all. They have to figure out who they are."

Phoenix is back in action on Friday when they play the Utah Jazz.