If the Phoenix Suns were to miraculously find a third team willing to help them offload Bradley Beal and facilitate a trade to land Jimmy Butler, the Suns reportedly have a two-year, $121 million extension waiting for the estranged Miami Heat star.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!NBA analyst for ESPN and former NBA big man Kendrick Perkins said on the latest Road Trippin’ Podcast hosted by Allie Clifton, Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson that he is being told Phoenix will have an extension waiting for Butler should he arrive via trade in the near future.
“From my sources, they’re telling me that the Suns have a two-year $121 million extension waiting on Jimmy (Butler),” Perkins said. “That’s like 60 (million) a year.”
“From my sources… the Suns have a 2-year, $121 million extension waiting on Jimmy… Kevin Durant wants Jimmy Butler, and if he does get Jimmy Butler… they'll both gonna sign contract extensions.”
– Big Perk
(via @RoadTrippinPod / @ClutchPoints )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 9, 2025
One of the more underdiscussed facets of a Butler trade to the Suns is the contractual implications of it all. If Butler were to sign an extension at that number, and if they were to also extend Kevin Durant (which Perkins mentioned they would), then Phoenix would be up to its neck in salary tax restrictions assuming Durant gets signed to a max contract.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia has made it known that he will do whatever and spend however much is needed to field a contending team at all times. However, the longer a team like Phoenix is above the second apron, the more restrictions are placed on its assets.
Here is a list of restrictions given to a team that exceeds the second apron:
- Loss of the mid-level exception in free agency
- Unable to trade first-round picks seven years into the future
- Cannot sign-and-trade players
- Loss of cash in trades
- Team cannot aggregate contracts in trades
- Unable to sign players that were recently bought out by their former teams
- If a team is above the second apron for three of five years, their first round pick is moved to the end of the round
That is just a handful of restrictions written on paper. Never mind the inherent difficulties employing three players with sizeable contracts brings to basic roster construction.
The Suns, 16-19, are already paying for the lack of actual depth on the roster, especially when you want to compare them to contending teams like Oklahoma City or Cleveland.
Is Butler a better fit for the Suns than Beal? Hypothetically yes, but the problems off the court that Butler brings to Phoenix alone may be hard for the franchise to overcome despite forming a new and improved Big Three.
Report: Suns pursuing 3rd team for Bradley Beal to land Jimmy Butler
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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
