How a five-team trade brings Jimmy Butler to Phoenix and reshuffles the NBA.

The Phoenix Suns’ pursuit of Jimmy Butler seems like an impossible maze to navigate. Yet, that doesn’t stop fans and analysts from tossing scenarios into the trade machine, hoping to see what sticks. While far-fetched, the possibility isn’t entirely out of reach…if the right pieces fall perfectly into place.

A new twist has emerged, courtesy of Jake Fischer via The Stein Line, involving Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls.

Could this spark a straight-up swap of Bradley Beal for Zach LaVine? Perhaps. But let’s not stop there. Why would we? This is the NBA, where reality often bends to the will of desperation and a thirst for headlines.

Imagine LaVine and the Bulls tossed into a chaotic, multi-team symphony of assets, picks, and players spinning on the trade carousel. It’s the kind of deal where everyone involved pretends they’re in control, but in reality, they’re just clinging to the ride, hoping it doesn’t throw them off. Chicago wants to escape LaVine’s contract. The Suns want the missing piece to their championship puzzle.

And in the middle of it all, the trade machine spits out scenarios as wild as the dreams of every armchair GM scrolling Twitter at two in the ‘morn.

Kevin O’Connor, formerly of The Ringer and now the host of The Kevin O’Connor Show on Yahoo! Sports, has cooked up a mock trade that tickles your cerebellum. It’s a five-team blockbuster, the kind of deal that makes your head spin. And it ends with Jimmy Butler landing in the Valley of the Sun.

Plugging this into the trade machine? It works. Bradley Beal heads to Chicago — a scenario I floated last month — while Zach LaVine lands in Milwaukee, Jimmy Butler makes his way to Phoenix, and non-max players Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton pack their bags for South Beach. Meanwhile, Bobby Portis finds a new home with the Pistons. It’s one of those deals that seems to satisfy the cravings of every team involved, like a perfectly plated feast for the hungry.

“A deal like that feels like it makes sense,” KOC states. “It just makes sense to everybody for that matter.”

The draft picks involved would still need to be determined, but I can see the vision. I can see how the puzzle pieces fit together. How each team walks away feeling like they’ve addressed a pressing need or scratched an itch that’s been nagging them all season.

This wouldn’t be the first time Jimmy Butler and Zach LaVine found themselves intertwined in a blockbuster trade. Back in June 2017, Butler was sent from the Chicago Bulls to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a deal that brought LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, and Kris Dunn to Chicago.

What do you think about this deal? Let us know in the comments below.