Jimmy Butler’s future with the Miami Heat has been a topic of heavy discussion since the summer when it was widely reported that he wanted a max extension. He was not handed one by the organization and it is not hard to understand why.

Butler has guided the Heat to two NBA Finals during his time in South Beach. But he is 35 years old and has a long injury history.

Is he someone that the Heat should hand a long-term deal to or is it time to change things up and look forward to the next era?

There has been a ton of controversy surrounding the reporting of Butler’s situation as well. Shams Charania had written on X: “The Phoenix Suns are another team that Jimmy Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated in league circles that the six-time All-Star is open to as a destination while Miami listens to trade offers, sources tell ESPN, joining Dallas, Houston and Golden State.”

Bernie Lee himself would go on to call the report ‘fabricated’. But then Charania responded to Butler’s agent and stood by his reporting. So, there is a lot of confusion around the entire situation.

Charania has gotten some backing though. While speaking on NBA on ESPN, Bobby Marks stated that the news about Phoenix being a team that Butler would go to if he could not work out a deal in Miami was 100 per cent accurate.

The Suns are quite certainly an interesting team right now. They are 13-11 and sit at 8th in the West. But one cannot overlook the fact that Kevin Durant has already missed a number of games this season.

At full strength, the Suns could be outside contenders and if they add someone like Butler to their ranks, they could be one of the favourites.