Despite initial assertions that he would be open to a trade to any destination, it’s become clear Jimmy Butler and his camp are attempting to steer him to the Phoenix Suns, where he’d join Kevin Durant and Devin Booker to form a new Big 3. Usually, these things have a way of working out as the disgruntled superstar intends, even if it gets messy along the way.

But this situation is not so simple — and not just because Heat president Pat Riley is a prideful man who does not capitulate easily to star player demands. The Suns (almost) literally have nothing to trade back.

Phoenix’s team salary is above the second apron, which means it can only trade one player for one player while also not taking on more salary than it sends out in any deal. The only Suns player whose salary approaches Butler’s is Bradley Beal, but Miami (and other teams) aren’t too keen on absorbing the two years and $110 million left on his deal after this season. Also, Beal has a no-trade clause — one of two in the entire league, with LeBron James in the other — and can control his new destination. Any trade that would bring Butler to Phoenix must also involve sending Beal to a team that a) wants him, and b) he wants.

That’s a problem because the Suns, by virtue of all-in moves for Durant, Beal and others, have nearly exhausted their supply of tradeable draft picks. They sent away their last one, a 2031 first-rounder, to the Jazz earlier this week in a picks-only transaction many assumed was a prelude to a potential Butler trade. Instead of owning full control over their 2031 pick, the Suns now have the least favorable first-rounder between the Jazz, Timberwolves and Cavaliers in 2025, 2027 and 2029. It amounts to splitting a slice of pizza into three smaller slices and claiming you have more pizza at your disposal. The reason to do that, many theorized, was to have a larger quantity of picks to use to incentivize other teams to take on Beal and other long-term salaries in a multi-team transaction that would send Butler to Phoenix.

But so far, that trade has yet to materialize. So here we are.