With NBA trade season approaching, one name that could be available via trade is Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler. While ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Butler is a prime trade candidate with a list of preferred destinations, Butler’s agent refuted those reports. One of the teams mentioned as a Jimmy Butler trade destination was the Phoenix Suns.
However, that might be pure conjecture as well. The Suns are reportedly not interested in pursuing a Butler trade, as per Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports.
Bourguet reports that the Suns are content with their current roster when healthy. Before an ankle injury to Kevin Durant, the Suns were 11-2 and one of the top teams in the Western Conference standings. Since then, they’ve gone 1-10 and are hovering slightly above .500 at 12-11.
There are also concerns and potential restrictions surrounding the dreaded second apron that might prevent a trade between the Heat and Suns getting completed.
The Heat are currently 12-10 and in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Now in his 14th season in the NBA, Butler is still playing at an All-Star level and would be an asset to any team, including if he remains with the Heat.
He’s appeared in 18 games for the Heat this season at a little over 32 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 19.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals with splits of 55.7 percent shooting from the field, 36 percent shooting from the three-point line and 78.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
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This could potentially be Butler’s last season with the Heat. He has a player option for next season that he could decline and hit unrestricted free agency in the offseason. The six-time All-Star has spent six seasons with the Heat after arriving in 2019 via a sign-and-trade deal including Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers.
Butler’s current tenure with the Heat includes two NBA Finals appearances in 2020 and 2023.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">David Yapkowitz is a basketball journalist for ClutchPoints, writing news on the NBA, WNBA, and NCAA Basketball for both men and women. The Los Angeles native has bylines with Basketball Insiders, SB Nation, and The Next Hoops.