The eyes never lie. Neither does body language, and it was abundantly clear once again last night. During a time-out, Jimmy Butler was seen sitting all by himself on the bench, reluctantly clapping for his teammates. It was clear as daylight that he wanted no part of those Vice City-themed jerseys and the organization as a whole. But that demeanor will get him nowhere and certainly not be traded out of Miami. So what does he have to do exactly? The answer is right here.

On The Hoop Collective podcast, Tim Bontemps broke down what Jimmy can possibly do to part ways with the Heat. “Here’s the deal with Jimmy Butler,” the ESPN reporter said. “If you wanted to get out of Miami, truly and I mean, I shouldn’t say that the best chance for him to get out of Miami to get what he wants is to get traded somewhere else, would have been to show up starting Friday and play his tail off for the next three weeks.” That’s something Jimmy hasn’t been focusing on much lately, with all the trade rumors, suspension, and everything else occupying his mind. So far, he has missed 17 games out of the 41 the Heat have played, averaging 17.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists.

The insider further pointed out that both Jimmy and the franchise would like to move past all the drama, but the Heat are not receiving a satisfying return in exchange for Jimmy. “The bottom line is the only teams that are really motivated right now to get him are teams that cannot deliver Miami the requisite stuff necessary to get a deal done,” Bontemps stated.

While Bontemps highlighted that Jimmy needs to step up his performance to find a way out of the situation, his co-host, Brian Windhorst, believes that the 35-year-old has a clear priority for the move.

Over the last couple of weeks, several franchises have come up in discussions as Jimmy Butler’s trade talks heated up. However, the one that has garnered the most attention is the Phoenix Suns, a team that Windhorst speculated to be the Heat star’s preferred destination.

Brian Windhorst speculates Jimmy Butler’s priority amid multiple potential suitors

“Jimmy’s number one focus is getting traded preferably to the Phoenix Sons everything else is secondary,” Windy declared. “Not getting traded to team X, not getting traded to team Y. Getting traded to the Phoenix Suns.” The insider emphasized, “If it doesn’t mean getting traded to the Suns, Jimmy is not going to be interested in it right now.”

But that’s not the only priority for Jimmy. If the trade with the Suns doesn’t work out, there’s always a plan B. “Butler’s best move is to just focus in playing. I think that’s on the table, but not until after the trade deadline and so that’s one of the things that the Heat have in the back of their mind.”

The $52 million is also on the line. Before Jimmy indirectly confessed that he wants to leave, many suspected he wouldn’t give up the player option for next season, as it’s just too tempting to pass up. Moreover, the Suns are facing a complicated situation with their only trading option in this case, Bradley Beal. The swingman has a no-trade clause in his contract, which is creating a significant obstacle in the potential trade. But it seems there are more suitors lining up to make the move possible for the Heat star. At least that’s what the ESPN reporter predicted.

Windy revealed on the show, “I had a team on Friday call me & say, ‘Hey, this team is trying to dump some salary. And they all of a sudden had to end our phone call to go do something bigger’…I speculate that it has to do with Butler and not just a direct Butler trade, but 3 & 4-team trades.”

Something big is definitely brewing, and hopefully, it will work out for both Jimmy Butler and the Heat. For now, the Jimmy Butler saga seems to have no clear ending. So, hold on until February 6, the trade deadline, to see how this all plays out.