Inside The Heat

Miami Heat Reportedly Linked To Three-Team Trade Of Jimmy Butler To Phoenix Suns

Shandel Richardson|
Jan 21, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers guard Dalano Banton (5) during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Jan 21, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers guard Dalano Banton (5) during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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With the trade deadline approaching, the Miami Heat are part of all sorts of Jimmy Butler scenarios.

There are some reports of the Heat sending Butler to the Phoenix Suns but not in exchange for Kevin Durant. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, Durant could be headed for a reunion with the Golden State Warriors.

“One reason for the significant uptick in Durant chatter, sources said, is that trading him appears to be the only way for Phoenix to acquire Miami's Jimmy Butler before Thursday's deadline," Fischer wrote. "Why would the Suns want Butler if they no longer have Durant on the roster? No one asked by The Stein Linehas been able to furnish a good answer to that question, but rumbles persist that a scenario that transports Butler from South Beach to the desert — with Durant moving back to the Bay Area — is indeed in play.”

While many Heat fans are clamoring for Durant in exchange for Butler, they could wind up with former No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins in a three-team deal that includes the Suns and Warriors.

The Heat have until Thursday to end the Butler saga. Despite leading the team to two NBA Finals since 2019, he requested a trade in late December. Butler has since been suspended by the team on three different occasions because of conduct detrimental to the team.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here