Jimmy Butler and his will-or-won’t fate with the Miami Heat has been refueled anew, as new trade buzz in the rumor mill suggested that the Phoenix Suns may be interested in him after all—but may be waiting until next year to get a better feel of the climate around the player.
According to a post by NBA insider Evan Sidery, the Suns are waiting until next year to finalize their decision on the matter of Jimmy Butler.
“The Suns are going to wait until mid-January before deciding on whether to further pursue Jimmy Butler,” he said on X.
The Suns are going to wait until mid-January before deciding on whether to further pursue Jimmy Butler, per @Gambo987.
Phoenix is tied for 8th in the Western Conference standings, but they want to see how their roster further jells together before making an aggressive trade. pic.twitter.com/ZpWLN6giRq
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) December 20, 2024
The Suns started strong this season, logging an 8-2 record at the beginning. However, the team suffered losses particularly when Kevin Durant’s presence was reduced due to injuries, and load management around Durant led to the team’s inconsistent rhyme and performance, among other problems.
With these things said, NBA insider Brett Siegel discussed the uncertainty of Jimmy Butler’s fate, which he described as “the biggest around the NBA.”
“Nothing appears to be imminent regarding Butler,” Siegel wrote. “The Heat are currently 13-11 this season and remain in the playoff picture before the calendar flips to 2025. Although Miami has not lived up to its potential over the last year, there is still no reason to panic in South Beach.”
Siegel highlighted that team president Pat Riley is keeping all options open, rather than actively pursuing a specific direction regarding Butler’s future.
“That is why the Heat are not actively shopping Butler, nor are they interested in trading him to the highest bidder,” Siegele wrote. “Instead, Pat Riley and the Heat’s front office are operating with the mindset of leaving all of their options open, potentially setting up a divorce with Butler ahead of the trade deadline based on how the next several weeks play out.”
Pat Riley on Jimmy Butler’s Heat Future: “We’ll See”
Earlier this year, Miami Heat president Pat Riley gave his honest take on the issue of Jimmy Butler’s future with the team, particularly the questions surrounding his contract extension. While he did not dive into specifics, he pointed out availability as one of the major factors in making the decision.
“We have to look at making that kind of commitment and when do we do it,” Riley said. “We don’t have to do it until 2025, actually. But we’ll see. We haven’t made a decision on it, and we haven’t really in earnest discussed it.”
“(An extension is) a big decision on our part to commit those kinds of resources unless you have somebody who’s going to be there and available every single night,” Riley added. “That’s the truth.”
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
