Jimmy Butler‘s situation with the Miami Heat is tricky. He wants to continue his career with a different squad, thus he has asked the franchise for a trade. The Phoenix Suns are the top team linked to Butler, but there hasn’t been any progress in a potential trade.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick appeared on “Run It Back” on Thursday and talked about the downside for Butler in his situation with the Heat and Suns. According to Amick, the six-time All-Star is in a “win or bust” situation in his case with Miami.
“For Jimmy, it is,” Amick told host Michelle Beadle. “I was with the Heat the last couple of days, they came through Sacramento and San Francisco. Got a pulse on the situation and really kind of learned that, I think certainly for Jimmy, it’s Phoenix or bust in terms of what he wants. The chance to compete with that group and to get the extension on the back end The Heat, obviously, are gonna think about the Heat.”
The $110M that the Suns owe Bradley Beal could stop the Heat from trading Jimmy Butler to Phoenix 😳 pic.twitter.com/yGReg7cK2N
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 9, 2025
Butler wants to compete for a title with a different team. He’s come close twice with the Heat in 2020 and 2023. However, the teams they played against were much better and healthier in both instances.
Sam Amick says Bradley Beal’s contract could prevent Jimmy Butler from getting traded to the Suns
If a team is willing to take All-Star Bradley Beal, that is one of the only ways Jimmy Butler could join the Suns. However, Beal’s contract demands $110 million over the next two seasons. On top of that, the former Washington Wizards star has a no-trade clause which he hasn’t waived yet.
According to Amick, Beal’s contract situation isn’t helping Butler’s desire to join the Suns. Additionally, he hasn’t performed well this season, which makes the Heat hesitant to absorb his contract. The only way they can execute a trade is if they involved a third team.
“If you are team X that is looking at Brad and saying, ‘Listen, we need some help,’ and he could be that guy… and we have four or five other players on our list of trade targets above Brad, then the Heat and Jimmy Butler, by proxy, are just gonna have to be patient and wait,” Amick said.
“That market is slim to begin with, and it’s certainly slim when teams are going to go through the rolodex of who else might work better for their team, who isn’t owed $110 million over the next two years.”
Beal has averaged 17.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists. His numbers aren’t the best, considering he’s under a max contract. Because of this, Butler and the Heat will have to be patient until a third team is interested.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
