The Phoenix Suns' pursuit of Jimmy Butler could be hurt by the size of the trade market for Bradley Beal, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

Windhorst reported on ESPN's SportsCenter that the Miami Heat are "really, really trying to make" a Butler trade happen.

"And I know that you could have said that any time in the last four or five weeks, but in talking to people who are involved in these talks, I think the Heat's prices have come down. What they're willing to accept in trade has widened, and I think that's going to bring some more teams that we're previously sitting on the sideline to the table," Windhorst said.

Windhorst continued: "Obviously, the Phoenix Suns have tried to get this done for weeks. They have tried three, four, five-team machinations. They have not been able to overcome the fact that what they've really got to trade is Bradley Beal, who has a no-trade clause and not a very big market.

"And so now I do believe this is going to bring in some other teams. We could see some surprising moves in this in this little battle in the next couple of days."

The Heat announced Monday that Butler would be suspended indefinitely, and for at least five games, after walking out of practice earlier that day. The team described Butler's actions as "intentionally withholding services."

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Butler left practice after being told he was losing his spot in the starting lineup to Haywood Highsmith going forward.

The suspension means that Butler will not play for the Heat before the trade deadline while Miami looks to move him and his $48.8 million cap hit.

In order to acquire Butler, the Suns could move out Beal's $50.2 million hit in order to acquire him— but only if they can find another team willing to take on Beal's contract for potentially two more seasons after this one.

Beal is signed for the 2025-26 campaign at $53.7 million, with a $57.1 million player option for 2026-27 and a no-trade clause.

The Athletic's Fred Katz reported last week that Beal "would consider waiving his no-trade clause for the right destination." The Athletic's Sam Amick reported earlier this month that Butler wants to go to the Suns, but the Heat don't want to take on Beal's contract, so the Suns may need to find a third team to take on Beal in order to facilitate a trade.

Weeks later, the Suns are left in the same situation. The countdown has now shrunk to just over a week for Phoenix to find a match for Beal and end the ongoing stalemate between Butler and the Heat.