The Heat reportedly want to move Jimmy Butler as soon as possible and have already engaged with clubs about a deal.
The Miami Heat were previously unwilling to part ways with Jimmy Butler, but they have apparently altered their minds. Shams Charania, an NBA insider, appeared on Sportscenter on Friday to discuss the Heat’s suspension of Butler for seven games, stating that the organization wants to move as fast as possible.
“This is a clear-cut end to the Butler-Heat relationship and as stunning as the seven-game suspension was around the league, more than anything this was an avenue for the Heat to keep Jimmy Butler away from the team over these next couple of weeks,” Charania said. “The situation around the Heat with Jimmy Butler there had been unmanageable.”
“From my understanding, the goal right now is to move Butler as soon as possible,” Charania informed me. “I’m told the Heat have spoken with teams as of Friday about Butler trades, and they will continue to engage with teams.”
“Just eight days ago, Pat Riley announced, ‘We are not trading Jimmy Butler.'” The Heat are now open for business, and Amina, the writing is officially on the wall for Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.”
As Charania indicated, Heat President Pat Riley made it clear on December 26 that Butler would not be traded. They wanted to keep him, but the situation appears to have become uncontrollable, so they want to ship him out as soon as possible.
Butler’s most recent engagement with the media gave the impression that things were not going well behind the scenes. Butler revealed after Thursday’s 128-115 loss to the Indiana Pacers that he no longer enjoys playing for the Heat. It was the most direct public statement yet that he wanted out.
The Heat are now ready to fulfill that wish, and it appears that a trade will occur sooner rather than later. Considering this very long ban over “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team,” it’s also maybe reasonable to conclude the six-time All-Star has played his final game for them.
If this is the end, Butler’s Heat career averages are 21.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. In his previous five seasons with the franchise, he took them to the NBA Finals twice: in 2020 and 2023.
Nobody could have predicted that after that 2023 Finals run, things would get this terrible in 18 months. As for where he might wind up, he has been linked to several teams. According to Charania, Butler’s favorite destinations include the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors.
The likely path for Butler to join Sun would be for them to trade Bradley Beal to the Heat. Beal would have to waive his no-trade clause for this and it remains to be seen if he’d be prepared to do that. As for the opposing team, we devised a hypothetical deal in which the Warriors obtain Butler. They would undoubtedly find it much easier than the Suns to make the move for the 35-year-old.
Meanwhile, the Heat (17-15) are preparing for life without Butler, who has averaged 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game this season. Their next game is against the Utah Jazz at Kaseya Center on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
