NBA Rumors: Suns Haven't Asked Bradley Beal About 'Any' Trade amid Jimmy Butler Buzz

The Phoenix Suns haven't asked shooting guard Bradley Beal "about any potential trade" amid ongoing trade buzz surrounding Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler.

Fred Katz of The Athletic reported the latest news on Beal, who has a full no-trade clause. He also noted that the Suns are also "making calls" on center Jusuf Nurkić, who moved to the bench with Beal on Jan. 6 after a 1-7 stretch.

"The Suns are making calls about the two veterans they just moved to the bench, though they have yet to ask Beal for his thoughts about any potential trade, team sources said. Beal's sign-off is necessary, considering he can veto any deal that includes him.

"He would consider waiving his no-trade clause for the right destination, according to a source familiar with his thinking. But as of now, management hasn't gauged whether he wants out — and if so, to where? It's not Beal's style to approach a front office on his own. He went 11 years in Washington without asking for a trade. Once the Wizards finally moved him, it was because new leadership initiated the idea, not the other way around. He has told people close to him that if the Suns never ask him to waive the no-trade clause to facilitate a deal, then he won't propose it on his own."

Meanwhile, Butler, whose trade request is well-known at this point as he seeks joy on the basketball court again, has been strongly connected with the Suns. He's reportedly made it clear that Phoenix is his top destination, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst on Monday's Hoop Collective podcast (34:50 mark).

"Jimmy's No. 1 focus is getting traded, preferably, to the Phoenix Suns. Everything else is secondary. Not getting traded to 'Team X,' not getting traded to 'Team Y,' getting traded to the Phoenix Suns.

"And so, anything that you want to bring that's rational, if it doesn't mean getting traded to the Suns, Jimmy is not going to be interested in it right now. That's one thing you got to remember out of all of that. And that is the way he is operating. The second thing is that what [ESPN's Tim Bontemps] has been saying for months as well, is that Butler's best move is to just focus on playing. I think that is on the table but not until after the trade deadline. And so that's one of the things that the Heat have in the back of their mind."

NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Jan. 12 that Phoenix "wants Butler" in a trade. A league source also noted to Stein that the Suns "want him bad" as well. However, any potential trade involving Butler and Beal would need (a) Beal to waive his no-trade clause and (b) a third team to enter the mix to take on the remainder of Beal's five-year, $251,019,650 deal. Beal is due $53,666,270 in 2025-26, and he holds a $57,128,610 player option for 2026-27.

Of course, none of this potential movement matters unless Beal waives his no-trade clause. Katz elaborated on the type of destination Beal would be open to moving to if he did consider a new destination.

"Now, cold-weather destinations could have a better chance of getting in on the mix," Katz wrote. "No one prefers to stay in a place they're not wanted. The first priority, if Beal were to consider a new home, would be winning, the source familiar with his thinking said."

For now, Beal remains a member of the Suns, who just dropped to .500 (21-21) after a 118-92 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Beal finished with just five points on 2-of-4 shooting in 25 minutes, capping an unusually quiet stretch for him where he's posted 10.8 PPG over the last four contests.

It's clear he could be making a bigger impact elsewhere, but the ball is ultimately in Beal's court on the trade front.