Heat’s options to find trade for Jimmy Butler appear to be dwindling after latest report
As Thursday’s 3 p.m. NBA trade deadline inches closer, the Miami Heat’s options to trade Jimmy Butler appear to be dwindling.
After Butler made it clear through backchannels a few weeks ago that he does not have any interest in being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Sunday night that Butler has also told the Golden State Warriors that he’s unwilling to sign an extension with them.
With Butler reportedly conveying that message to Golden State, Windhorst said that trade talks between the Heat and Warriors “have ended for now.”
This is part of the leverage that Butler holds in this situation, with Butler able to become a free agent this upcoming summer because of a $52.4 million player option in his contract for next season. Most teams exploring a trade for him likely want to know that he would commit to them past the remainder of this season.
With the Phoenix Suns and Warriors considered the two most likely trade destinations for Butler before this news, league sources told the Miami Herald late Sunday night that the Suns are the team still pushing the hardest to land Butler ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
The issue is Bradley Beal needs to be part of any Suns trade package (since Devin Booker and Durant are off the table) to make the salary-cap math work, but the Suns have been unable to find a match for Beal. Not only does Beal have two years and $110 million left on his contract beyond this season, but he also can veto any trade because of his no-trade clause. The Heat has not been interested in taking on Beal in a Butler trade, which means any Butler deal with the Suns would likely need to at least include a third team to take Beal and help facilitate such a trade.
Whether the dynamics surrounding the Beal situation changes in the coming days or whether a surprise team enters the mix could determine if Butler is still on the Heat’s roster past the trade deadline.
The Heat continues its efforts to trade the disgruntled Butler ahead of the trade deadline. But a deal is far from guaranteed because of the challenges that the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement have created to limit player movement paired with Butler’s unique situation.
In any Butler trade, the Heat wants to acquire a quality player (or players) who can help the team this season. That will be the top priority for Miami.
But the Heat also doesn’t want to take back long-term salary that’s going to clog its salary cap for the 2026 offseason, unless it’s for top-end All-Star talent. Draft capital is also important for the Heat, as it currently only has one unprotected first-round pick that it can deal away.
Butler remains away from the Heat, as he serves his third team-issued suspension of the last month. He’ll serve the fourth game of this suspension when the Heat takes on the Bulls in Chicago on Tuesday.
Butler, who has made it clear that he wants the Heat to trade him, is suspended by the Heat at least through Thursday’s trade deadline. But the Heat labeled this latest suspension as “indefinite” due “to a continued pattern of disregard of team rules, engaging in conduct detrimental to the team and intentionally withholding services.”
Butler’s third suspension (currently three games served) follows two previous team suspensions in January — a seven-game banishment in early January and a two-game suspension later in January.
In meetings with Heat president Pat Riley, owner Micky Arison and chief executive officer Nick Arison in January, Butler remained adamant about his desire to be traded out of Miami.
According to multiple sources, the 35-year-old Butler has been disappointed with the Heat primarily because Miami declined to give him a two-year, $113 million contract extension this past summer, a deal that would have run through the 2026-27 season. Butler was open to signing such a deal early in the negotiating window, but his mind-set changed when the extension wasn’t immediately offered by the Heat.
The Heat is 13-12 this season in games that Butler has played in and 11-11 without Butler.
While Butler’s situation remains unresolved, multiple blockbuster trades have been agreed to around the NBA in recent days.
Late Saturday night, the Dallas Mavericks shocked the NBA world by trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. On Sunday night, the Sacramento Kings traded De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs as part of a three-team deal with the Bulls that sent Zach LaVine to the Kings.
This story was originally published February 2, 2025 at 10:30 PM.
