The Jimmy Butler sweepstakes are about to begin. The long rumored damaged relationship between the Heats star guard and the franchise appear to be at a breaking point as Miami announced they have suspended him for 7 games because of conduct detrimental to the team, and will now be fielding trade offers as they look to move him.
This is great news for the Suns.
Phoenix has been rumored for months now as a destination that Butler would want to go to. Butler doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract, meaning Miami is allowed to trade him where ever they want. However, since this is Butlers last year on his contract, its unlikely that a team would be willing to trade much in the way of assets for him, unless they had assurances that he was going to sign a long term extension with them.
This gives Jimmy a significant amount of leverage in a trade.
By stating which teams he is opening to signing a long term extension with, he has manipulated which teams are likely willing to trade for him, limiting Miami’s options. The four teams that he has reportedly said he would be interested in are the Suns, Warriors, Rockets and Mavericks.
The 7 game suspension may seem like a random number to select to suspended him, but it’s anything but. The final game of that suspension is on January 15th, which is the date that most players with trade restrictions, often players who signed contracts this offseason, become available. By suspended him until then, they likely will be able to work out the frame work of a trade and be able to trade him around the 15th.
That means the Suns are now on the clock and have almost two weeks to come up with the best offer.
