The Milwaukee Bucks acquiring Bradley Beal from the Phoenix Suns as part of a Jimmy Butler trade seems more likely than ever now.

The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly among the teams that have sniffed around Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler in a possible trade, but with the Phoenix Suns still pursuing him aggressively, there is a way that the Bucks could get in on a possible Butler deal without actually landing the mercurial forward.

With Middleton in a diminished role coming off the bench as he nurses tendinitis, an acquisition of a star talent like LaVine would significantly reinforce the Bucks' relatively mediocre offense. Also, a prime 29-year old LaVine's future availability is far more certain than 33-year old Middleton.

Amid a roller-coaster season that began with title hopes, the Suns needed a shakeup. But with limited options, where do they go from here?

Phoenix currently sits 10th in the Western Conference standings with a 21-21 record. This is not what they expected after starting the season 8-1 and having one of the NBA’s highest payrolls, mainly due to their superstar trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.

CLEVELAND — Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal is hopeful he’ll play in Monday’s game on Martin Luther King Jr. Day against the Cleveland Cavaliers after missing last two games with left ankle sprain. “As long as I can move like Brad, I’m good,” Beal said.

After missing the Suns' last two games with a left ankle sprain, Beal returned to action but struggled to get much going while he handled a light 11.7 percent usage in the blowout loss. Beal has struggled to adapt to his new role as the Suns' sixth man,

For the game, the Suns could be without one of their best players, as Bradley Beal is on the injury report. Beal is averaging 17.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per contest while shooting 48.

Rumors of Bradley Beal potentially leaving the Phoenix Suns surfaced a couple of weeks ago, and now those whispers have grown louder. Speculation suggests he could be on his way to joining an NBA Cup championship team.

The Raptors are rumored to be trying to facilitate the Butler trade, per Heat reporter Ira Winderman. They have another $10 million in salary that they can take in before hitting the luxury tax, so using that space in order to get some future assets would be a smart move.

The Suns listed guard Bradley Beal as questionable (left ankle sprain) for Phoenix's game against an injury-hit Brooklyn Nets team on Wednesday.