The Phoenix Suns have a very narrow pathway to acquiring Jimmy Butler, but the two sides are believed to have mutual interest. The Suns would need to trade out Bradley Beal in order to acquire Butler as Devin Booker and Kevin Durant are considered untouchable. Beal has a no trade clause and would have to approve a trade. Beal is signed for two more seasons and has battled injuries and a drop in his productivity from the last time he was an All-Star in 2021.
The Golden State Warriors, for their part, want to evaluate how their existing pieces look before possibly circling back to a Butler trade. The other two teams on Butler's list, the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, are not believed to be interested.
"The Suns and Jimmy Butler are believed to have a level of mutual interest," said Shams Charania on NBA Today on Tuesday. "The Warriors are in more of a situation of 'we'll see.' They have Jonathan Kuminga in the starting lineup right now. They're trying to figure out what this team looks like with Dennis Schroder.
"Usually in this league when two sides, you know, we'll see."
Charania added that the one team that projects to have enough cap space to sign Butler in the offseason, the Brooklyn Nets, are not considered a likely destination should he become a free agent in 2025 and look to leave the Heat outright in a non-sign-and-trade scenario.
