Miami Heat Forward Jimmy Butler has indicated to the Miami Heat he wants to be traded ahead of the February 6 trade deadline according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst. Butler said he is open to playing anywhere but Miami. Per ESPN, Butler’s relationship with the Heat has not recovered since Pat Riley’s critical words after the team’s playoff loss to the Boston Celtics last postseason. “If you’re not on the court playing, you should keep your mouth shut,” Riley said at the time.
Jimmy Butler will decline his $52 million player option for 2025-2026 and become a free agent. On Thursday, Butler announced that he does not find joy in playing basketball in Miami. “I’m happy here, you know, off the court. But I want to be back to somewhat dominant. I want to hoop. I want to help this team win, but right now, I’m not enjoying it.”
Jimmy Butler Demands Trade
Jimmy Butler has been very open with the media that he has not been enjoying playing the game of basketball in Miami and wants to find another home where he can find his love for basketball again. Butler had a 13-day absence from the team due to an illness and returned against the New Orleans Pelicans only to be benched in the fourth quarter. Against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night he was held to 9 points while taking just six shots. He was outscored by 27 points in the 27 minutes he was on the court against the Pacers.
Despite this, in the past two games, Butler has been limited in game time and scoring points. Butler has averaged 17.6 points per game through his first 22 games, which would mark his lowest scoring average since 2013-2014. For now, Jimmy Butler says he plans on participating in team activities until being traded.
On Christmas Day, ESPN reported that Butler would be interested in playing for the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and Phoenix Suns. Before the trade rumor with Jimmy Butler, Miami said that there were several teams interested in him but none had progressed.
Butler is 35 years old but is still a top NBA player and a great postseason performer who can lead a team in the playoffs. His teams have made the playoffs in 12 of his 13 seasons, including the five previous campaigns in Miami, which he has led to two NBA Finals and one additional Eastern Conference Finals.
Final Thoughts
As the Butler-Heat trade saga intensifies, it all stems down to Jimmy Butler wanting out of Miami. The relationship between Butler and the Heat started back last season when Pat Riley made a comment during the Boston Celtics series where the Heat lost. The relationship since then has spiraled, and now Jimmy Butler is adamant about leaving Miami and open to going anywhere else. Teams will get a shot at getting Butler ahead of the deadline but will have to be willing to give up a star player to acquire him.
