NBA Rumors: Warriors Have Discussed 3-Team Trade with Butler to Suns, Wiggins to Heat

With Thursday's trade deadline looming, the Golden State Warriors could be a key player in efforts to get Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat to the Phoenix Suns.

Sam Amick, David Aldridge and Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported on the situation Tuesday, noting "both the Warriors and Suns have cluttered salary structures, but both ownership groups have shown a willingness to pay up for players they desire.

"The Warriors also have a potential path to help guide Butler to Phoenix, if they pull the trigger on an Andrew Wiggins-centric trade with Miami that has been discussed."

Butler has been connected to the Suns over and over again, but no trade has yet materialized.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps reported "there isn't a lot of interest in acquiring Butler" around the league outside of the Suns, and that is much easier said than done because Phoenix has been unable to find a landing spot for Bradley Beal given his $50.2 million salary and no-trade clause.

The Athletic report noted the Warriors could be interested in Kevin Durant, which could be a factor in any discussions involving Golden State with the Suns and Heat.

But from Phoenix's perspective, ending up with Butler in a win-now move but giving up Durant would be a net negative for its championship chances this season. It wouldn't make much sense to go out of the way to get Butler if he wasn't being paired with both Durant and Devin Booker.

After all, a Butler, Durant and Booker trio could be a threat to any opponent in a playoff series. Yet the conversation and overall ceiling drastically changes if Durant is shipped out.

As for the Heat, moving Butler and ending up with Wiggins would allow them to move on from the drama that has dominated headlines of late all while adding a solid scorer on the wing who could help in an Eastern Conference playoff push.