The Suns and Bulls are exploring a Bradley Beal trade to facilitate Jimmy Butler's arrival in Phoenix before the deadline.

The expected trade that will send Jimmy Butler out of Miami has been reported to have multiple pieces. Phoenix appears to be the likely destination for the form

Jimmy Butler wore the Chicago Bulls uniform for six seasons. A lot has happened since his move away from the Windy City. For one, he has established himself as one of the best playoff performers in the league, taking the Miami Heat to two NBA Finals. Unfortunately, his time in South Beach seems to be coming to an end and it is not a happy one.

From a contract standpoint, Beal has $160 million remaining on his contract over the next three seasons (including the ongoing edition) and is one of two NBA players, along with 4x NBA champion LeBron James, who has a no-trade clause with the LA Lakers.

Katz reports that, despite his apathy towards a Bulls trade, Beal would be open to being dealt away from the Suns, provided he is sent to a “winning team.” He finds cold-weather destinations less appetizing. The Bulls, being in such a climate and also sporting a sub-.500 19-27 record, are not among trade destinations Beal would approve.

The NBA trade deadline draws closer by the day, and as always, the transaction cycle remains headlined by the same small group of players. On Monday, the Miami Heat suspended Jimmy Butler indefinitely after he walked out of a shootaround upon receiving the news that he would be benched.

During the Hoop Collective discussion, Windhorst’s ESPN colleague Tim Bontemps also questioned why the Bulls would be motivated to swap out LaVine for Beal, given the limited draft assets the Suns could offer as sweeteners and the All-Star caliber season LaVine is having so far this year (24.0 PPG on .512/.444/.792 shooting).

The Chicago Bulls were rumored to be interested in taking on Bradley Beal’s contract as a third team in a deal involving the Suns and the Miami Heat on Monday.