Jimmy Butler lands with Suns in Bill Simmons' 4-team trade proposal
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As the Phoenix Suns are in pursuit of a Jimmy Butler trade from the Miami Heat, sports commentator Bill Simmons gives his mock trade on his self-titled show that includes a four-team deal to make it happen. After the Suns rounded up some first-round picks through a recent trade, it seems to be one of the first steps in a possible deal for Butler that could change the trajectory of their season.
Looking at Simmons’ trade, it involves not just the obvious teams of Phoenix and Miami, but it includes the Milwaukee Bucks getting Bradley Beal and the fourth team being the Houston Rockets. While the Suns get Butler in the trade, the Heat get Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton and Houston’s Steven Adams and Cam Whitmore.
“Well the trade that I came up with was Butler to the Suns, Beal to the Bucks, Miami gets Khris Middleton, Steven Adams and Cam Whitmore from Houston, and Houston gets Brook Lopez, and that actually works,” Simmons said. “Houston would be taking on $7, 8 million to turn Adams and Whitmore into Lopez basically.”
“I think when people talk about 4 teamers, 5 teamers, it's a trade like that and a team like Houston has to be involved,” Simmons continued. “Turning Adams and one of their younger, cheaper assets into a better Center.”
On the show with Simmons was NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor who had a five-team trade where besides the Suns, Heat, and Bucks, the other two teams were the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons.
Another trade scenario involving Jimmy Butler to the Suns
In this scenario, Beal would go to the Bulls and Zach LaVine would go to the Bucks as he’s been in immense trade speculation, among other transactions.
“Suns get Butler, Heat get Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton,” O’Connor said. “Bulls get Bradley Beal, Bucks get Zach LaVine, and then the Pistons take Bobby Portis into their cap space, and then you distribute some picks to the team that should get them. Like the Bulls for taking Bradley Beal instead of LaVine.”
Trade talks seem to be heating up as even Butler wore the Suns’ colors on his sneakers in the Heat’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. With Miami’s next game against the Bucks, Butler received a two-game suspension for missing a team flight to Milwaukee, leading some to believe a potential trade could happen during the period.
One setback for any Butler trade would be the Suns’ guard in Beal waiving his no-trade clause which his agent Mark Bartelstein said Wednesday that the star’s “focus” is to help the team he’s currently on. Though, he would go on to say they won’t rule anything out via The Arizona Republic.
"Brad's entire focus has been and is on getting healthy with his ankle and helping turn things around for the Suns," Bartelstein said. “Having said that, I never operate in terms of absolutes, meaning that we would never say there would never be a trade that you would not consider…”
As the basketball world continues to come up with possible deals, it seems as if to revive the season, Butler could be the missing piece. Phoenix is currently 22-21 which puts them 10th in the Western Conference as they next face the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
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