Suns Trolled by NBA Fans as Jimmy Butler Traded to Warriors amid Durant, Beal Rumors

Featured Columnist IVFebruary 6, 2025

MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 21: Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat dribbles the ball during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 21, 2025 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images

The Phoenix Suns were linked to Jimmy Butler for much of the six-time All-Star's saga at the end of his tenure with the Miami Heat.

Until they weren't.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported Wednesday that the Heat traded Butler to the Golden State Warriors in a multi-team deal that brought Andrew Wiggins back to Miami. It means Golden State has another headline name alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green as it attempts to make a charge up the Western Conference standings.

And it also means the Suns will likely look pretty similar once Thursday's trade deadline passes.

NBA Insider Chris Haynes reported the Suns were prepared for this scenario all along:

Chris Haynes @ChrisBHaynes
Multiple obstacles in the way to make a drastic change at the deadline, Phoenix Suns were always prepared to venture into second half of season with the core roster in place. With futures no longer in doubt for time being, the internal hope is improved play.

Social media had plenty of reaction from a Phoenix perspective:

sreekar @sreekyshooter
The Suns chased Butler for 2 months, realized they were stuck with Beal, and pivoted last minute to field KD offers until he shot them down. So now Beal's stuck here, KD feels disrespected, and you have the largest payroll for a .500 team during Booker's prime. Incredible work.

Jarrett Carlen @JarrettGC
Perhaps the real <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Suns?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Suns</a> blockbuster trade was the friends we made along the way

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itsallphoenix @itsallphoenix2
And just like that. The Suns will continue to do nooooothing.

Suns Are Better @SunsAreBetter
So, at this trade deadline, the Suns openly shopped Kevin Durant, realized Bradley Beal is the worst asset in the NBA, and made no substantial moves to change the outlook on the team. An absolute disasterclass.

𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒆 🌩 @Three_Cone
So what the hell do the Suns do now

Tucker @SportingLogical
The Suns spent months sabotaging their team to force Bradley Beal to want to waive his no trade clause so they could add Jimmy Butler Just to miss out on him Oh and they shopped Kevin Durant because they are afraid he will leave in 2026 DISASTERCLASS from Ishbia...

PHNX Suns @PHNX_Suns
All of this deadline talk is going to be fun when it ends with this as the only thing … <a href="https://t.co/X9JtMGOcIF">pic.twitter.com/X9JtMGOcIF</a>

sreekar @sreekyshooter
the funniest possible thing the Suns could do after all the noise is not trading KD or Nurkic, and just getting Torrey Craig for the 3rd time in the past 5 trade deadlines

sreekar @sreekyshooter
Sources: The Phoenix Suns have just been eliminated from the 2024-25 NBA season <a href="https://t.co/ZuixGr4R6S">pic.twitter.com/ZuixGr4R6S</a>

Brandon Awadis @brawadis
Beal no trade clause really the downfall of the Suns smh

ᵂᴵᴸᴸ @BiasedHouston
No Jimmy Butler to the Suns. Now we wait for that team to collapse.

Ultimately, the Suns likely would have needed to move Bradley Beal if they were going to accommodate Butler in a trade. With Beal's no-trade clause and contract that is set to pay him $53.7 million in base salary next season before a $57.1 million player option in 2026-27, that was much easier said than done.

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported Monday "the unrelenting word continues to be that Beal has no desire to bless a trade pretty much anywhere and prefers to remain in Phoenix, where his family has been settling after finally leaving the nation's capital."

ESPN's Brian Windhorst also talked about the situation during an appearance on Wednesday's episode of Get Up:

"The Suns have been trying for weeks to turn Bradley Beal into Jimmy Butler. To pair him with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. That is what the Suns have wanted, that is what Jimmy Butler has wanted. That is not what Brad Beal wants, and he has no trade clause, and they have reached a loggerheads. They have tried almost every team in the league from what I can understand."

That led to some Kevin Durant trade rumors even, but Fischer and Marc Stein reported "there is a distinct sense percolating now that Durant does not want to be traded at all."

So it looks like the current players on the Suns will have to figure out a way to turn things around from the ninth spot in the Western Conference standings at 25-24.