Add another team to Jimmy Butler’s list of acceptable destinations.
The Phoenix Suns are another team that Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated in league circles that Butler is open to as a destination as the Miami Heat listen to trade offers for the six-time All-Star, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
It had already been reported that Butler was open to playing for the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks.
The Phoenix Suns are another team that Jimmy Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated in league circles that the six-time All-Star is open to as a destination while Miami listens to trade offers, sources tell ESPN, joining Dallas, Houston and Golden State. pic.twitter.com/QCXA2uEMXt
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 11, 2024
Like the Mavericks and Warriors, the Suns are in a tight financial position that makes trading for a star like Butler difficult – but even more so. The Suns, owners of the league’s largest payroll, are one of four teams above the second tax apron. That limits them from aggregating salaries in a deal or taking back more money than what they are sending out.
Butler has a cap hit of $48.7 this season.
So Phoenix’s only avenue to acquiring Butler would be to send out someone making more money. That includes Kevin Durant ($51.1 million), Bradley Beal ($50.2 million) and Devin Booker ($49.2 million).
It’s hard to see the Suns trading Durant or Booker for Butler, a 35-year-old who plans to enter free agency next summer.
It would be surprising if the Heat agreed to trade Butler for Beal, who is due more than $160 million over the next three seasons and had a no-trade clause, and at 31 had entered a new stage of his career.
Teams like the Suns above the second apron cannot aggregate two or more player salaries in a trade, send out cash in a trade or acquire more salary in a trade, among other roster-building limitations.
As a team over the first apron, the Heat can send out multiple players but cannot take back more salary in a trade.
That means in order for a trade to work (however unlikely), the Heat would have to involve a third team that could take on the salary of one of Miami’s players.
Because of these complications and the expected unwillingness to swap star players, Butler landing in Phoenix appears to be a longshot.
On the heels of Charania’s report, Lee fired back on X (formerly Twitter), saying the report is “made up.”
“Alright listen,” Lee posted. “I gave you a pass yesterday because I was busy but if you don’t stop putting my name on your complete and utter made up b******* because you know you normally arent worth my time to acknowledge.”
Charania in his reporting has continued to state that Lee is telling league insiders about where his client would be willing to play, whether that’s in Phoenix, Golden State, Houston or Dallas.
After practice on Wednesday, Butler said he “liked” being involved in trade speculation because “any attention is good attention.” Coach Erik Spoelstra on Tuesday called the rumors “gibberish.”