It's widely assumed the Miami Heat are unwilling to take back Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal in a trade involving Jimmy Butler.
This is why almost every proposed deal involving the Heat's six-time All-Star features a minimum of three teams. Win-now organizations like the Milwaukee Bucks are typically named as the ideal suitor for the Suns star, but one NBA analyst suggests the trade could take a different direction.
Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor reported the Chicago Bulls are a team potentially willing to take on Beal's lucrative contract.
"A few weeks ago, when this Butler stuff was still in the early days… one source said to me, one of the primary hopes for Phoenix getting rid of Beal is Chicago, and I had heard nothing about that since then," O'Connor said. "But it's interesting as we approach the deadline that the [Milwaukee] Bucks could be going after Zach LaVine."
O'Connor then went on to outline what a five-team blockbuster between the Heat, Suns, Bulls, Bucks, and Detroit Pistons would look like.
"The deal could be something like this: the Bucks get LaVine, the Suns get Butler, the Bulls get Beal, the Heat get Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton, and then the Pistons or some other team could take on Bobby Portis," O'Connor proposed before detailing which teams would receive draft capital. "I think the Bulls would get something, I'm sure the Heat would want something. It makes sense."
The Heat are undoubtedly ready to rid their roster of the drama Butler is causing in recent months. A return of Middleton, Connaughton, and draft capital is far from the worst they can find.
Meanwhile, the Suns and Bucks essentially move one star for another that gives them stronger championship odds. LaVine is a weaker defender than Middleton but is more reliable and a step up in terms of scoring production. Beal is simply not the 30-point-per-game player he once was while Butler can provide Phoenix with a greater variety of attributes while having a history of rising to the occasion.
