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(CNN) — Miami forward Jimmy Butler appeared to nod at trade rumors of a move to Phoenix, turning out for the Heat’s 116-107 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday in a pair of Suns-themed colorway shoes.
The six-time NBA All-Star returned to the lineup on Friday following a seven-game suspension for “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks.”
However, his choice of footwear, as well as his apparent decision to sit away from the team during a huddle on Tuesday, appear to suggest that he still wants out of Miami before the trade deadline on February 6.
The Suns are at the top of Butler’s preferred destinations, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“Jimmy’s number one focus is getting traded, preferably to the Phoenix Suns. Everything else is secondary,” Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast on Monday.
“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.”
Butler’s appearance on court in the shoes came just hours after it was revealed that the Suns had traded their 2031 first-rounder to the Utah Jazz for three first-round picks, according to Reuters.
Phoenix acquired the least favorable first-round pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves or the Jazz in 2025, with the latter’s pick protected. It will also receive the least favorable pick of the same teams in 2027, and again in 2029, with the Timberwolves’ pick protected that year.
The move to essentially triple the number of first-round picks gives the Suns more to play with in any potential trade deal, which could prove crucial in a move for Butler. It is an apparent decision to prioritize finding an elite-level player as soon as possible to complement Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, with the latter now 36 years old and Phoenix currently sitting at 21-21 and 10th in the West.
It may be better for all parties if that player does prove to be Butler. The Heat’s loss to the Blazers was their fourth in five games, and although head coach Erik Spoelstra has insisted that the team is remaining professional, constant speculation about the forward’s future cannot be helpful.
Butler recorded 13 points, four rebounds and eight assists on Tuesday night. Portland’s Anfernee Simons had a game-high 24 points on a night when seven Blazers scored double figures, including former Suns player Deandre Ayton, who also contributed 15 rebounds.
Ayton’s eight points during a 21-8 Portland run early in the third quarter proved the most decisive stretch of the game, putting his team up 86-63. The Heat would get back to within seven of their opponents in the fourth, before three free throws from Jerami Grant secured the win with 35 seconds remaining.
The-CNN-Wire
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