According to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler “prefers a trade out of Miami” ahead of the 2024 Trade Deadline, expected to be Feb. 6.
https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1871948946345689131
Though there was one very key detail from Charania’s report:
“Butler has not formally requested a trade, sources said, but is believed to be ready for his exit,” Charania wrote. “Butler has $49 million on his contract with the Heat for this season and a $52 million player option for 2025-26 after the two sides failed to reach an extension last summer. Both sides appear ready to move on from this Butler-led era as the Heat lean into a rising core of All-Star center Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro (in the midst of a career season), and Butler’s player option for next season has given the parties their own vantage point of leverage.”
Regardless if he’s traded or not, all the reporting suggests that Butler, 35, does intend to opt out of his $52.4 million player option after the season to test free agency. That’s not new news.
Butler also not formally requesting a trade isn’t new news–which was confirmed by Heat insiders Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
https://x.com/Anthony_Chiang/status/1871953037230739838
https://x.com/flasportsbuzz/status/1871952124936163587
All of this comes just over two weeks after Charania reported that the Heat is “open to listening” to trade offers for Butler, which the Heat didn’t publicly deny. Considering there is a non-zero chance they lose Butler in free agency–assuming they don’t trade him, even with very few plausible destinations due to the lack of current cap space–it would’ve been silly for the Heat not to explore the trade market.
While there’s no formal trade request, this does feel like a very soft trade request; Butler has to walk a thin line considering it could impact his future contract negotiations if he blows another fuse.
What are your thoughts on Charania’s latest report? Let us know in the comments!
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And now we close the book, I think…
Michael Scotto: Miami Heat executive Pat Riley: “We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches. Therefore, we will make it clear – We are not trading Jimmy Butler.”
Is Riley now exploring trades in order to bolster the line-up/make the team more competitive this season?
As we’ve discussed, I don’t think it’s the best idea because his greatest value would be now and will be less after the season.
Butler for Beale is a terrible trade for Miami!!! If Riley makes this trade he should be fired!!!
Agree totally. We didn’t want him then, why would we want him now?
Another Miami G Leaguer May Be On The Move…
Nassir Little drawing attention from NBA teams
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/nassir-little-drawing-attention-from-nba-teams/ar-AA1wvVn1?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=392107806c78477998097ae603f1a20b&ei=38
Little has been looking very good. The athleticism was always there, now he’s shooting better, albeit in the G league. Wouldn’t mind giving him a contract for the minimum.
Isaiah Stevens signed to the 2-way contract vacated by Keshad! Very good!
Good for Stevens. He may soon be getting minutes with the Heat.
This is probably start of the end of Jimmy in Miami.
What we can expect from that?
I believe even without Butler this team is strong enough to win 45 games, made PO, and give a good fight in first round of PO. I would be happy with that.
We need a point guard and a power forward, so the return from Butler would have to be at least one of those. Maybe a good young forward would be the best, because good point guards are not young. I don’t care about picks, we have enough young talent.
Other moves?
Terry should go, too. I would keep Love.
I wish Jimmy Butler nothing but the best of luck in the future, whether he stays or goes. He’s been an inspirational personality, a workhorse and a team leader since he arrived in Miami. He helped bring the team back to respectability. If he leaves, I hope it is on good terms. Either way, he deserves to have his jersey up in the rafters one day. If Jimmy is traded or chooses to leave in free agency, as Michael Corleone said in The Godfather, “it’s not personal; it’s strictly business.”
Last season, we were all in denial after the team’s unbelievable 2023 playoff run. In reality, they were this year’s team with more injuries. This year’s Heat team is not very competitive. Miami has trouble beating losing teams and much more trouble against good ones. The team is probably not getting out of the first round, with or without Jimmy.
The only way the Heat still has a chance of competing in the playoffs this year is if:
Hopefully, if the stars all align, we may yet see another miraculous run in the playoffs like the one in 2023! If not, I’m looking forward to watching the young guys develop. The team has several players with potential (Ware, Larsson, Johnson, Smith, Stevens and Christopher, not to mention Jaquez and Jovic). Remember, Bam is still only 27 and Herro is only 24. However this drama turns out, my cup of optimism remains half full.
GO HEAT!!!
This reminds me of the end of the LeBron era. Too much smoke. And where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
Just want to remind everyone that we all expected Jimmy was gone after the first round exit last year. So it’s fine if he gets traded. He had a great 5-year run with a franchise, and i consider him a top-5 Heat player of all time (behind LeBron Wade and Zo, but probably ahead of Bosh Shaq and Udonis).
The Heat also have Bam, a multiple time all-star, two-timeOlympic Gold Medalist, and the defensive anchor for a team that won the east multiple times. Tyler Herro is playing like an all-star this year, and JJJ and Jovic are two good young prospects. So the foundation for a rebuild is already in place.
I think that if the Heat can get a good young prospect or two for Jimmy, they should deal him at the deadline. Still hoping for Houston. Just don’t waste the cap space. Because all the other top teams in the East are at the second apron, and the Heat have the structure to build a real contender over the next couple years. I hope they don’t rush the process.
with bost ny phily(healthy) milw cleve thanks to there gmsacquiring talent they are way better than the heat.the time to have gone for it was 3 years ago before dame holiday porzingis brunso ndonovan pg arrived.prob best off to wait for those teams to get a little worse retool shoot for 2027 to be legitimate contender thanks pat riley ct for nothing
lol. NY and Philly never even make it past the second round. Cleveland has never made it past second round without LeBron. Milwaukie has made it past the second round once.
All these GMs are so much better than Riley, but somehow their teams are still worse
what have u done me for me lately..jimmy needed help pat didnt get enough..look at what the other teams have added last couple years.up until few years ago riley was the man not no mo.
okay, even if you’re saying ‘what have you done for me lately’ the Heat won the East the season before last. The seasons before that they had the best record in the East. Two seasons before that they made the Finals.
So lately, the Heat are the second best team in the East behind Boston.
Those other teams make big splashy moves every offseason and the media talks about how great they’re going to be and they’re never as good as the Heat. Look at Philly. Everyone was talking about how great they were last year. They’re like 12th in the East right now. Miami is 6th while they’re midway though a rebuild and about to trade their best player for more young talent.
If you don’t realize Riley is one of the best in the league right now (as well as one of the best ever) than I just feel sorry for you, because you can’t appreciate greatness even when it’s sitting in your lap
I see what you’re saying, but go over all of the Heat’s transactions, particularly the last two years, compare those moves to what the better teams in the East did. It’s been two years now, the past was great, but it’s getting pretty close to time to stop giving Pat a pass. The window was open, but is open no longer.
And those teams you say never get past the first round, well I do believe at least three of the four of them, NY, Cleveland, Milwaukee, or Philly,,will make it past the first round.,You know who will be vacationing by then, that will be us. Were we any better than them last year? And will we still be better than them in 2025, I sincerely doubt it.
I still think that the biggest mistake that Riley made was placating Butler by giving Lowry a 3 year, $85 million contract. So I feel Butler should take some responsibility for the Heat not getting the help he needed. For $30 million a year, we could’ve signed a B or B+ player.
dont sneeze on achiuwa he would have been perfect playing next to bam.that trade was worse than lowrys quickness.like any gm u win some deals u lose some.getting dwade gives riley a pass for life.getting riley down here gives arison a pass for life..we all remember louis schaffel billy cunningham days
Don’t forget:
20. Heat draft Precious Achiuwa
21. 76ers draft Tyrese Maxey
well whoopdy freakin-doo. Three of those teams will make the second round of the playoffs. They should hang a banner for that. Especially in Philly.
All of those teams combine have made it past the second round once. This year, if they can get past Boston, maybe one of them will make it to the Conference Finals as many times as Atlanta and Indiana. Miami has been there 3 times in the past 5 years.
Only one team will win the East. Since LeBron left the East, Boston has done it twice, Miami has done it twice, and everyone else put together has done it twice.
Those teams suck. Until they start hanging banners for winning offseasons, they’re still chasing Miami
Testify!
Happy holidays! I seriously miss you bro!
Exactly. The other teams loaded up. It was an arms race while we sat and watched.
pat tried for donovan dame and others but didnt have enough ammo to get them.
In order to avoid all the disruptive drama, it is in Miami’s best interest to trade Jimmy Butler for the highest “reasonable” offer before the February 6, 2025 trade deadline.
It is in Butler’s best interest to play his best basketball until the trade deadline
If he is not traded by February 6th, Butler will still need to show he can stay healthy and perform at or near a “playoff Jimmy” level for the rest of the season
Until and unless Miami receives an acceptable trade offer such as the one described above,
It’s Riley’s move. If he isn’t able to find a suitable trading partner, it will be up to Jimmy to stay healthy and perform at a high level the rest of the year.
“Indian man (Shams Charania) speaks with forked tongue.”
After months of speculation and a well-chronicled contractual impasse, Butler has officially expressed a desire to leave Miami. However, Charania notes the six-time All-Star hasn’t “formally requested” to get moved, though he’s “ready” for the next chapter of his journey.
WTF? How you can you officially express a desire to leave Miami but not formally request to get moved. Anyone with a first name of Shams surely can’t be trusted.
Per Oxford Dictionary:
noun
plural noun: shams
verb
3rd person present: shams
I think it’s going to happen now. Still going to take some time to get the best deal. But, don’t delay too long lest he gets hurt again.
jims value to low 30 too many injuries.not going to get what we want
where there’s smoke, there’s fire
c ya dont believe that though