Will Jimmy Butler be traded by the deadline? Maybe, but it won’t involve the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns. For Phoenix, it’ll be one of the greatest deals in recent memory. For Miami, it would put them in an uncomfortable situation in recent memory.
As it stands right now, according to multiple reports, the Suns would offer Bradley Beal and picks, most likely their 2031 first-rounder and some second-rounders.
Again, for Mat Ishbia’s team, this would be a home run—a significant addition to their championship odds. However, if this type of deal went through for Pat Riley’s team, it would cause present and future issues like fans have never seen before.
In today’s article, I will go through the top five reasons why Miami would never accept this deal in a million years.
Reason #1: Another Guard In The Rotation
Bradley Beal’s career has seen him play primarily at the two spot, shooting guard; this season with the Suns is the exception. Right now, he is playing small forward.
I bring this up to say if Miami acquires him, then they will have a guard room of Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and Beal. Not only is that very competitive, but where will all the minutes be allocated?
The only way the minutes would work is for Beal to replace Butler as the team’s starting small forward, which could see a three-guard starting lineup.
This would be a true small-ball lineup that will force the front court, Haywood Highsmith and Bam Adebayo, to pick up the slack on defense and rebounding.
Beal is a fine defender. However, it could be proven difficult when a stronger, bigger opponent comes crashing into the paint/perimeter, and he may be unable to stop it. Add this to players like Rozier and Herro not being top-tier defensemen. Challenges will arise.
By adding another guard and turning him into a make-shift small forward, Miami will sacrifice elements of their team to compensate for a three-guard lineup.
Reason #2: Injuries & Availability
Since the 2019-20 season, Beal has only played an average of 52 games per season. At one point, fans saw him only play 40 games in one season (2021-22) and 50 in another (2022-23).
That’s beyond concerning when one of this team’s weaknesses is having players who are healthy and able to play more than 60 games in a season. What should concern Miami fans even more is that Beal will push through injuries to play in games; while admirable, this doesn’t mean his productivity and usefulness will be positive.
Since 2019-20, Butler has played an average of 58.2 games per season. While some can argue that he needs to play more games and has a history of getting hurt, the 35-year-old has been resilient and put the team on his back during their two trips to the NBA Finals.
He holds a different level of impact, one of which Beal does not possess. It’s not a knock on Beal, but Butler is available when his team needs him the most. Whether that be important stretches of the season or postseason.
Reason #3: Beal’s Contract
The 31-year-old is making $50 million this season, $53 million next season, and has a $57 million player option in 2026-27.
That’s a lot of money given to a talented player who is hurt often, especially with age, and doesn’t possess the same Batman-like tendencies as Butler. Plus, on top of it, he has the less-than-charming no-trade clause in his contract.
He got the NTC from the Washington Wizards to keep him there until they decided to move him to Phoenix. James Jones’ team has to deal with his NTC if they want to trade him.
Now, let’s say there is a reality where Riley goes crazy and accepts the deal. They’ll be tied down to his NTC until the end of his contract expires.
Why is this a bad thing? It’s terrible because no team in the future will want to trade for an older, more injury-prone Bradley Beal with an expensive contract with that clause. Plus, it gives Beal the option to say no if the Heat dumps to some lower-tier team.
It puts them in a horrific spot, as they get him and probably will also eat that player option. Why? Because Beal won’t get that large contract again in his career, why wouldn’t he opt into it? He would be out of his mind not to.
This isn’t a favorable world to live in if I’m a part of the Heat’s front office.
Reason #4: What The Suns Can Offer Is Absolute Garbage
I don’t mean to be overly critical or rude, but the Heat only getting Beal in the deal is horrible.
Beal is not a horrible player, not in the slightest. He is a good, solid talent that can contribute to win. Even with all that, he is an aging player who can’t do it on his own, not to the level that Butler was able to do.
Due to Phoenix being a Second Apron team, they can only put in one player. It must be a 1+1 deal; they can’t put another into the deal to match the salary. This is why Beal is the number one player in these “trade talks.”
Giving up elite talent for a good player and a half-decent pick is not wise. A 2031 first-rounder and multiple seconds won’t help the Heat in the present or the future. We are at the end of 2024, heading into 2025, which means that pick can’t be used for six more years.
In addition to the trade, exchanging Butler for Beal is a massive downgrade. One could argue that the only reason this team is competitive is Butler, especially when multiple players are injured, fatigued, or not having their typical game.
Reason #5: Miami Could Easily Fall Into A Poverty-like State
This team has solid pieces yet has never been more than a play-in team. It’s somewhat perplexing, but that’s where this team is at.
Bam Adebayo has not elevated this team, Tyler Herro has not elevated it, and nobody besides Butler has taken it to new heights. I’m not saying that Herro and Adebayo are bad players, but they have that impact and command of the game that Butler does.
A team surrounding Beal, Herro, Adebayo, and Rozier isn’t a recipe for success. While they are individually good, they won’t be collectively good. There is a massive difference. One results in stats looking pretty, and the other is winning basketball, which translates into another Finals run.
To take it another step forward, if they get Beal, and it doesn’t work out in the next season or even two, they’ll blow up the team. Why? Miami will not allow itself to remain mediocre, especially without Butler.
The ramifications of this singular (potential) trade on the Miami Heat are severe. It’s not positive, and it’s highly damaging.
Conclusion:
I love Bradley Beal, but he cannot replace Jimmy Butler. Miami is in such a unique situation that if they lose Jimmy Butler, it will have to be for some good pieces. This is not the time to settle or take losses.
To summarize, Phoenix doesn’t have the assets, or allowed to add more assets, to make a solid trade offer to Miami. Even if the deal went through, the small-ball lineup would cripple them in health, defense, rebounding and force the team to go in a different scheme.
Miami would be tied down to Beal’s contract and jeopardize their future, even past the date of his contract expiration. Lastly, this team will be filled with good players, but not ones assembled to make a past-the-second-round or Finals run.
The answer is very clear as to why the Heat will NOT be trading Butler to the Suns.
The NBA’s trade deadline is February 6th, 2025.
