The Jimmy Butler trade drama has picked up as his suspension ends. Let’s break down where things stand with Butler.
Heat suspend Jimmy Butler indefinitely
Jimmy Butler’s latest two-game suspension was set to end Monday when Miami hosted Orlando, but by the end of the team’s morning shootaround, another Butler suspension was in place — and this one is indefinite. Which, in practical terms, means until after the trade deadline, at least.
Butler was informed at shootaround that he would come off the bench behind Haywood Highsmith in this game, which prompted Butler to walk out of shootaround. From there, the Heat suspended Butler “indefinitely,” a story broken by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The reality is this is at least a five-game suspension, which gets Miami through the trade deadline without Butler in the locker room. If Butler is still with the Heat after the trade deadline — which is the most likely outcome according to league sources speaking to NBC Sports — then Butler and Miami can decide how they want to handle the rest of this season.
Butler was previously suspended for two games by Miami “for continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team, including missing today’s team flight to Milwaukee.” In total, Butler has missed nine games due to suspensions by the Heat since he demanded a trade, all of those suspensions for “conduct detrimental to the team” and reaching a total of $3.1 million in salary so far (although the player’s union is appealing those suspensions, and Butler likely will get some or all of that money back).
The Butler trade situation summarized
It isn’t that complex.
• Jimmy Butler wants out of Miami.
• Miami wants to get out of the Jimmy Butler business.
• Butler is primarily focused on getting to Phoenix (despite reports he’d go “anywhere but Memphis”).
• Phoenix wants Butler “bad.”
• The only way for the Suns to take on Butler’s $48.8 million contract is to trade away Bradley Beal and his $50.2 million.
• Miami does not want Beal. They have been very clear from the start.
• Bradley Beal has a no-trade clause and can veto any trade he doesn’t like.
• Phoenix needs to find a third team to take Beal, one where Beal is willing to go.
• That team has yet to emerge with an offer the Heat like.
Everything after this — about Beal to the Chicago Bulls (read below), or a five-team trade that includes Zach Lavine and the Bucks — is speculation and/or spin. And there’s been a lot of spin. Take a close look at the comments from news breakers driving this story and it’s not hard to tell which side is feeding them information (that doesn’t mean it’s wrong, just remember that everything you read is spin).
While the core of the Butler trade situation is simple, making it happen is complex.
What does Jimmy Butler want
To get to Phoenix. That is goal one, two and three, according to league sources speaking to NBC Sports. Was Butler wearing Suns colorway shoes not enough of a hint?
However, what Butler really wants is to just get out of Miami, ESPN’s Marc Spears said on the network’s NBA Today show:
“I was told today from someone close to the situation that his wish list is just out of Miami, with the exception to Memphis. But he does wanna finish his career wherever he goes.”
Which means, he wants a contract extension wherever he goes. Reportedly, Butler is seeking two years and more than $100 million, which is the sticking point for many teams.
Top Butler destinations
This is pretty much a one-team list.
Phoenix Suns
As noted above, momentum is picking up around a potential Butler trade to Phoenix, but that doesn’t mean it will happen.
Phoenix wants Butler “bad,” and there are good basketball reasons for Butler to want to go to the Suns. Teaming up with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker is a no-brainer. Plus, the Suns lack a certain level of toughness, this is not a team with a lot of dog in it, and Butler would bring that. If Butler were to land in Phoenix, it wouldn’t make them an automatic contender, but it might get them to the level of a team like Memphis (third in the West), which gives them a puncher’s chance in the playoffs. That’s more of a chance than they have right now.
To be clear, Butler mostly wants to get to Phoenix because its owner, Mat Ishbia, has suggested he would give Butler the kind of extension he seeks.
The problem continues to be making this trade work. As noted above, to make this trade the Suns have to trade away Bradley Beal, who has a no-trade clause and can veto any trade. Miami doesn’t want him. That means bringing in at least a third team (maybe four or five) into a more complex trade that gets Beal to a desired destination, and that team will want first-round picks as sweeteners. Throw in the complexities of the luxury tax aprons and their trade restrictions — Phoenix cannot bring in $1 more than it sends out and cannot aggregate salaries to send out, Miami can’t take on additional money either — and this becomes very difficult to pull off. Which is why there are many skeptics in league circles who expect Butler to be with the Heat after the trade deadline.
Beal to the Bulls to clear way for Butler trade?
This is the hot rumor on a Monday, but like every other Jimmy Butler trade rumor once you start to map it out it feels less likely to happen.
The Bulls and Suns have talked about a Bradley Beal trade to Chicago, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective Podcast, but added no deal is close. Over the weekend, the possibility of Phoenix exploring a Beal for Zach LaVine trade was mentioned by Jake Fischer at The Stein Line. A trade of Beal and picks — Phoenix has first-rounders to trade now — to Chicago for LaVine straight-up works under the salary cap.
However, this would likely be part of a larger trade or series of trades — Phoenix would then want to flip LaVine for Jimmy Butler, not necessarily hold on to him. Milwaukee has been speculated about as another team in the mix who could take on LaVine, shipping Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis out the door to Miami to make it happen (plus, the Bucks would need another team to take on Pat Connaughton and his contract). Over at ESPN, Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst report the Bucks are willing to look at trading away Middleton, Portis and Connaughton to help land an “impact player” in a trade.
That’s a lot of moving parts, which makes this a complex trade unlikely to happen, but it’s out there and maybe the most plausible Butler to Phoenix scenario out there.
Still, there are still so many hurdles to this trade. First and foremost, Beal has a no-trade clause and can veto any deal — does he want to go to Chicago and waive his no-trade clause to do so? Beal’s agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, denied reports Beal would automatically waive his no-trade clause to get to the Bucks, Nuggets, Heat or Lakers and any such rumors were “created out of thin air,” he told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. That may not mention Chicago specifically, but it might as well. Beal has to want this.
Next, for Chicago to take on Beal and his additional salary (both Beal and LaVine have player options for 2026-27, but Beal’s is for about $8 million more), they will want multiple first-round picks as sweeteners. There are reports they want all three first-rounders the Suns just traded for to consider this move.
Even if they could do it, should the Bulls? Does it make sense for Chicago as it pivots toward a rebuild? This trade seems unlikely, but it’s an intriguing possibility.
Memphis Grizzlies lurking
Memphis is the one team on Butler’s “don’t trade me there” list because the Grizzlies have no intention of paying his next contract, and that next contract is the actual crux of this whole saga (Miami wouldn’t give Butler the extension he wanted, so here we are).
That hasn’t stopped the Grizzlies from “lurking” around this trade, reports ESPN. If Memphis could get off some long-term salary (Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard) and then let Butler walk after this season — freeing up money for the Grizzlies to re-sign Jaren Jackson Jr. — then they would be into a trade. However, what Butler would Memphis get? One that wants to prove his worth, or the disgruntled, disruptive version? Concerns about the latter should make the Grizzlies uncomfortable, but they are at least considering this trade on some level.
Toronto open to helping facilitate trade
If you’re looking for a third team in any potential Jimmy Butler trade, consider Toronto.
The Raptors don’t want to land Butler (they couldn’t re-sign him and he’s redundant with the talent they like on their roster anyway), but they are willing to take on a “bad” contract for a year if it comes with enough draft picks to make it worthwhile, reports Doug Smith at the Toronto Star. This shouldn’t be a shock, Masai Ujiri has at his disposal some expiring contracts (Bruce Brown, Chris Boucher and Davion Mitchell) of various sizes that could see the player moved to facilitate the right deal.
Toronto is also checking the market to trade those three players outright.
Golden State Warriors not interested
Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr all came out this week and said some variation of this Green quote:
“The beautiful part about being in the space that we’re in is, Steve Kerr, Steph Curry and myself all disagree with mortgaging off the future of this organization, saying that we’re going for it right now, Bad teams do that. Bad organizations do that. We’re not neither one.”
The best way to interpret that: Don’t trade for Jimmy Butler (or Zach LaVine). The trio is right, the Warriors are not a team that is one player away and unless there is a top 5-10 player in the league who is under 30 on the market (there is not), then don’t blow things up.
Warriors management was already on the same page, quietly saying there were three reasons they didn’t want to get into the Jimmy Butler business: Butler’s age (35), his injury history, and price tag (the Warriors would have to send out either Draymond Green or Andrew Wiggins, plus Jonathan Kuminga and at least two more players, then have to pay Butler next summer with a massive new contract).
What the Warriors are thinking echoes what a lot of teams are thinking.
Heat players see Butler as distraction
As this saga has dragged out, the Miami Heat have lost 5-of-7 and fallen to .500 (22-22). The Butler drama is impacting this team beyond him not playing while suspended. ESPN’s Shams Charania said on SportsCenter that players and staff see the situation as a “distraction” and that there is “chaos” within the organization.
Chaos is a strong word, but the Heat are struggling with all the drama around them. Suspending Butler is one way to keep the drama down, so Miami keeps doing it.
Butler tells Riley, Arison face-to-face: Trade me
Jimmy Butler has made it clear to anyone who will listen: He doesn’t want to play in Miami anymore. He wants to be traded — and before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. If not, he will use his $52.4 million player option next season to leave Miami and will not re-sign with the Heat.
None of that is new, but Butler reiterated in two face-to-face meetings last week, one with Miami Heat president Pat Riley (Shams Charania of ESPN had the report) and one with Heat owner Micky Arison. Butler is not backing down from his position.
News of these meetings leaked as part of a PR push by Butler’s backers to suggest that the Heat were not aggressive enough in finding a trade. This strategy may have worked because talks have heated up, but we will wait to see if it is enough.
Butler, not the easiest teammate to deal with
Think about how bad things have gotten that Butler’s teammates in Miami that one would tell ESPN, “We don’t want him back.” If you ever wonder why Butler’s trade market is so small, start with that in mind.
Recently, Butler’s confidants pushed the idea that the Heat were not being aggressive enough, but Miami knows how to play the public relations game, too, so it’s not a coincidence that “Jimmy Butler is a diva” leaks are increased as everything dragged out.
Diva, as in during the NBA Finals in 2023, stayed on his own in a mansion 30 miles away in Boulder rather than a hotel in downtown Dever like the rest of the team. Diva as in occasionally skipping out on morning shootarounds, insisting on private flights separate from Miami’s team charter, and enough other stuff that former Miami player Tim Hardaway Sr. told Sirius XM NBA Radio that Pat Riley sent a 10-page letter to the players’ association detailing Butler’s issues, reports Marc Stein in his newsletter.
Again, this is not new news around the league and part of the reason teams are hesitant to get into the Butler business.
What do Heat want in Butler trade?
Pat Riley is waiting for just the right trade.
This is not a fire sale. Miami’s two primary goals for any trade are acquiring win-now players who can help them this season and next (not just picks and young players) and taking back as little long-term money as possible. If Miami makes a deal, it wants the flexibility to rebuild around Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro without being anchored down by another long-term big contract.
The challenge is Butler is making $48.8 million this season with a player option for $52.4 million next season — and the 35-year-old wants an extension (he could have that tacked on at the end of this contract taking him to age 38, or he could opt out of next season’s contract and sign for two years at whatever number, he wants more than $100 million, taking him to his age 37 season).
To trade for Butler means teams have to send another expensive player back to Miami, or a team will have to trade four or five players to make it work. If a trade happens, it likely ends up a three- or four-team trade. Which are incredibly challenging to put together (both financially and in making everybody happy).
What happened between Jimmy Butler and Pat Riley?
This entire saga is all about the money. Don’t pretend it’s about anything else.
Things fell apart between Butler and the Heat when Butler wanted to discuss a contract extension after last season, ideally with him opting out of his $52.4 million for next season to get two years, $112.6 million. Pat Riley emphatically shot that down when talking after last season.
“That’s a big decision on our part to commit those kinds of resources unless you have somebody who’s going to be there and available every single night. That’s the truth,” Riley said. Butler played 60 games last season and was out for the team’s playoff series against the Celtics.
Butler told the Washington Post this week he still believes he’s in his prime.
It’s that simple: Butler wants to be paid, but the Heat don’t want to do it, so he wants to trade to a place where he thinks he will be paid.
How old is Jimmy Butler?
He is 35 years old and will turn 36 before training camp opens next season. This is his 14th season in the league.
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