Home Daily Gossip Jimmy Butler trade talks heat up: Suns remain his top destination

Jimmy Butler trade talks heat up: Suns remain his top destination

Photo: Peter Baba

The Miami Heat have reportedly intensified trade discussions involving star forward Jimmy Butler, according to NBA insider Brian Windhorst. These talks come after Butler had a pivotal meeting with team owner Micky Arison last Thursday.

“Since Jimmy had his meeting with Micky Arison on Thursday, there is no doubt an uptick in discussions around Jimmy Butler. The Heat shifted into a new gear after that meeting,” Windhorst shared on The Hoop Collective podcast, via HoopsHype. The insider speculated that the Heat could be looking at multi-team deals, not just a direct Butler trade.

Windhorst added, “I even had a team on Friday call me and say ‘Hey, this team is trying to dump some salary.’ They go ‘Hey, we were just talking with a couple of teams who were trying to dump a salary,’ and they all of a sudden had to like end our phone calls to go do something bigger. They said, ‘What’s going on?’ And I go ‘Well, I don’t know,’ but I speculate that it has to do with Butler.”

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Butler, who requested a trade earlier this month, has reportedly expressed interest in a move to the Phoenix Suns. Sources have indicated that Butler is not keen on joining other suitors, including the Milwaukee Bucks, making Phoenix the top candidate for his services.

The Heat’s attempts to find a trade partner have ramped up as the trade deadline approaches, but no satisfactory deal has been reached yet. Despite the trade rumors, Butler has returned from a seven-game suspension and is still contributing to Miami’s efforts on the court. Over the last two games, he posted 18 and 8 points, respectively, in his return to action.

Butler, 35, is currently averaging 17.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 30.8 minutes per game this season.

The Heat are hoping to find a solution before the trade deadline, but Windhorst’s comments suggest that the ongoing discussions are complex. “The point is I do think the Heat are actually trying,” Windhorst concluded, highlighting Miami’s strong push to make a deal.

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