Longtime radio talk show host for Arizona Sports John Gambadoro reported Friday via X/Twitter that the Phoenix Suns will take some time before any decisions on Jimmy Butler or other trades are made.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“No nothing has changed,” Gambadoro said in a post responding to a request for updates on the Butler saga. “The Suns are going to wait until mid-January before making a decision as to what they will do in regard to a potential Butler trade and other trades.
“I already backed up Shams report that Phoenix is Butler preferred destination if he is traded.”
No nothing that has changed – the Suns are going to wait until mid-January before making a decision as to what they will do in regard to a potential Butler trade and other trades. I already backed up Shams report that Phoenix is Butler preferred destination if he is traded. https://t.co/vOwk9UwzOU
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) December 20, 2024
Gambadoro added in a later post, “with that being said I will continue to say Butler wants to come to Phoenix and I believe the Suns like him. But nothing is imminent and I expect this will play out over the next few weeks.”
This comes just a week after ESPN‘s Shams Charania reported — and further doubled down after pushback from Butler’s agent — that Phoenix was on the six-time All-Star’s short list of preferred trade destinations.
Time is exactly what the Suns need to truthfully evaluate whether or not a trade is necessary. On the heels of a loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Suns (14-12) just cannot stay healthy as a team. The injury bug’s latest victim was star guard Devin Booker, who exited Thursday’s game with groin tightness and was not seen at shootaround Friday morning.
Phoenix’s Big Three has only played 11 games (out of 26) together this season and are 8-3 in that span.
Would Butler be a better fit with the Suns than Beal? Sure. But it’s not like this Big Three isn’t working, it’s just not healthy.
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Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenosports, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
