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It looks like Jimmy Butler will be playing for a team other than the Miami Heat, but there’s one team he reportedly doesn’t want to join.
ESPN’s Mark J. Spears told NBA Today that Butler’s wish list is “all but Memphis, right out of Miami.”
Spears noted that Butler wants to “finish his career wherever he goes.”
NBA insider Chris Haynes reported days after Butler’s trade request earlier this month that Memphis had “no interest in being traded,” and Butler has been adamant that he doesn’t want to go to the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies have had a solid season thus far, going 29-15, so they aren’t desperate to add a star alongside Ja Morant. They also won’t want to part with key players in exchange for an aging star like Butler.
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor also noted earlier this month that there were “a lot of rumors” that Butler didn’t want to be traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Phoenix Suns are the team most mentioned in Butler’s trade rumors and appear to be the frontrunner to acquire him. On Wednesday, Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill reported that sources suggested a “complex three-team deal” involving Butler and Suns guard Bradley Beal and Bucks involvement “no longer seems impossible.” It was reported that.
Goodwill also said that “the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors are also rumored to be involved,” and that “Detroit and Charlotte could act as intermediaries.”
In order to move Beal, he would first have to waive his embargo clause, which could complicate things.
The Suns, who have star power led by Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, have struggled early this year, ranking 10th in the Western Conference with a record of 22 wins and 21 losses. Butler’s Heat also had a poor performance, locked in 9th place in the East with 21 wins and 21 losses.
Butler wasn’t much help to Miami while serving a seven-game suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team,” but the Heat were dissatisfied with his suspension for “continuing a pattern of neglect.” The former star player will miss two more games. Actions that do not follow team rules or are harmful to the team are prohibited. ”
Butler’s departure from Miami seems inevitable at this point, but the question is which team he ends up with. The 35-year-old hasn’t had his best season this year, but he could still be a big contributor for a few teams, especially a fringe prospect like the Suns.
