The Jimmy Butler saga continues to unfold. After weeks of speculation about the potentially damaged relationship between the 35-year-old and the Miami Heat, a breakup appears imminent.
The news of Butler’s impending departure from Miami has engulfed headlines in the early leg of the season. However, the tension dates back to last season, when the Heat fought for playoff supremacy without their All-Star forward.
According to the Miami Herald, Butler was “caught off guard” by Heat president Pat Riley last postseason. The executive chided him for saying that the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks wouldn’t have advanced in the postseason if he were available to play.
“For him to say that, I thought, ‘Is that Jimmy trolling, or is that Jimmy serious?’” Riley said during a May press conference. “If you’re not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut.”
It was also reported that the six-time All-Star was disgruntled with the Heat after the team didn’t publicly deny a Dec. 10 report that said he wanted to be traded.
“According to a source, Butler was also disappointed that the Heat did not publicly deny a Dec. 10 ESPN report that Miami was open to trading him,” wrote Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Wednesday that Butler prefers to be traded ahead of February’s trade deadline. He also intends to decline his player option for the 2025-26 NBA season.
“Butler is open to trade destinations such as the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, league sources said,” Charania wrote. “Multiple teams have called the Heat to express interest in Butler in the past two weeks, but Miami has not shown urgency in talks as the franchise monitors the first half of the season, those sources said.”
Trading Butler may feel like the only option for the Heat amid the seemingly deteriorating relationship between the team and their star player. However, teams that are not on Butler’s wish list may be hesitant to pull the trigger on a trade for the five-time All-NBA forward knowing that he may be a rental.
This season, Butler is averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in 20 appearances. He will be 36 years old before the start of the 2025-26 regular season and is past his prime. That said, he remains one of the league’s premier postseason performers when healthy and could draw huge interest from title-contending teams looking for one more piece to put them over the top.
