Heat culture in the ‘305’ is no long working for Jimmy Butler and he is ready for a new home.
According to ESPN’s senior NBA Insider Shams Charania, the Miami Heat star “prefers” a trade out of town by the looming February 6 trade deadline. However, he reportedly has not formally gone through the channels and requested a trade from the Heat.
Butler, 35 years-of-age, is in his 14th season in the league out of Marquette. He has been with the Heat since 2019. Pat Riley and the Miami Heat are reportedly open to listening to offers for Butler, who wants a trade to a “win-now contender” more than anything. The organizations Butler is open to reportedly include the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets.
Butler and the Heat were not able to come to an agreement on a long-term deal this summer, meaning he has only a $52 million player option left on his Heat contract. According to Charania, Butler does not plan to utilize that option, which means he would become an unrestricted free agent in July. He is still putting in that work, averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists this season.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Heat have been a mainstay in the playoff picture in five of Butler’s six full seasons in Miami. He had aspirations that the Heat could be his chance to win the NBA Finals and get his long-awaited and allusive championship ring, and they got close twice. The Heat made it to the finals in 2020, Butler’s first season in Miami, losing to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 in the COVID-19 bubble Finals in Orlando. Three years later, the Heat made a return trip to the Finals, but lost in a gentlemen’s sweep, 4-1 to the Denver Nuggets.
In the 2023-24 the Hea lost to the eventual champions Boston Celtics in the first round in five games. They are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with a 14-13 record, above the play-in line, but there are 55 games left on their schedule.
While a number of teams have reportedly called with interest to inquire about Butler’s availability, the Heat do not have to pull the trigger on anything. However, it would benefit them to do something because it is their only chance to get equal value for the six-time All-Star, who can walk out the door at the end of the season, but with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro set up as Miami’s cornerstone for the future, the Heat could absolutely keep Butler around and see if they can make one last run at the Finals before the Butler era comes to an end.
