In an appearance on SportsCenter late Friday night (YouTube link), Shams Charania of ESPN gave the latest update on Jimmy Butler‘s situation in Miami, stating that the Heat would prefer to trade the six-time All-Star “as soon as possible.”
The Heat recently suspended Butler for seven games, but the duration was largely irrelevant, as no one actually expects him to play another game for Miami, according to Charania.
“This is a clear-cut end to the Butler-Heat relationship,” Charania said. “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. The situation around the Heat with Jimmy Butler there had become unmanageable.
“ … From my understanding, the goal right now is to move Butler as soon as possible. And 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, (president) Pat Riley came out and said ‘we are not trading Jimmy Butler.’ Now, the Heat are fully open for business, and the writing is officially on the wall for Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.”
One trade package that might appeal to the Heat would be a “relatively inexpensive good player” — whether on an expiring or multiyear contract — plus other expiring deals to match salaries with Butler’s $48.8MM outgoing cap hit, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Getting another star player in return for Butler would be “very appealing” to the Heat, but Jackson acknowledges that will be a challenge.
Although Charania reported that Miami would like to move the five-time All-NBA forward as soon it can, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald hears a potential trade will be determined by the types of offers the team receives, and the Heat aren’t necessarily in a rush to deal Butler (Twitter link).
Butler, 35, has averaged 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game in 22 appearances this season (30.8 MPG). His shooting slash line is .552/.375/.788.
All this for an aging non shooting player that creates drama everywhere he goes? Good luck Miami lol
Forgot to mention is always hurt/doesn’t play
Miami trying to sell a stock at the top price when all its doing its price is falling fast. Dump the stock as soon as you can get anything of value out of it.
Forgot to mention that he leaves it all out on the floor, plays both ways, usually makes the right play and carries his teams further than they should go in the playoffs when he is available
He leaves it all out on the floor when he feels like it.
He’s old AF.
Those are big negatives, don’t ya think?
“Forgot to mention that he leaves it all out on the floor”
Only when he’s in the mood to. He’s given the Albert Haynesworth effort in several games this year.
He’s a great – not good – defender. Lots of guys score more points than him who can’t hold his jock as an overall player.
problem is who is willing to give Heat something of value for a old expiring expensive contract? Not many clubs can come up with $48 million matching money.
Exactly, who can even take on this money without giving up key aspects of their rorster? Utah? Brooklyn? Toronto?
3 teams that are rebuilding that wouldn’t want Butler. davey your trade proposals do not make any sense lately.
Because it hasnt made sense at any point in time at all.
He would help a lot of teams. But yes his salary is redundant at this point cause the guys you have to give up to match salaries would cancel out what he would add to your team. Heat will have to take another bad salary back to facilitate a trade like beal or lavine to make it work. Heat also aren’t very good at trades overall and Pat Riley talks to much crap about his own players in the media and it probably doesn’t help in his trade negotiations when everyone knows his stance on his own players.
From “We are not trading Jimmy” to “We can’t wait to get rid of him as soon as possible” in a week.
Welcome to the Jimmy Butler experience, ladies and gentlemen!
Middleton for Butler is the best Miami will get.
Jimmy Butler has a Player Option for $52 million next year. In Miami, there is no state income tax. Wherever he gets traded ….. Likely will. Not sure how many teams are interested in giving Jimmy a fresh 3-year deal at non-max money. This guy opts out, and he could be looking at $52 million total for two years instead of one …. In a state that has income tax.
What are odds that Butker can’t be moved before Feb 3? I think significant.
The media has over-estimated the interest in Butlwr from other teams since this past summer. His age and injury history, along with the $52M player option for next year, are prohibitive.
I’ve yet to see a proposed trade that makes sense. That includes Denver (with MPJr) and GSW (with Wiggins).
.
There’s a chance Butker sits on his coach until June, and then has to determine whether they to exercise his $52M option or sign a 2-3 years deal at much less.
Spolstra: Get OFF of me, Butker!
Harrison Butker will not be moved. He is still a productive kicker.
This is now the 4th team he’s worn out his welcome with.
He’s 35 and doesn’t have much left in that tank and apparently only tries when he feels like it.
Someone will take a chance on him but his market can’t be that big, especially amount the better teams that will likely view him as a cancer.
“Among the better teams”….I got auto corrected
There is a clear theme where he demands a trade to a new team, wears out his welcome, gets pissy and demands a trade again.
Why would anyone bring him in?
With his penchant for drama maybe he’s more suited for the WNBA?
The NBA loves drama. I wouldn’t be surprised if the drama somewhat scripted to keep eyes on the product.
The WNBA didn’t have all that much drama until this last season. Before Clark and Reese the ladies just went out there and played their games.
The players are not the ones causing the drama in the WNBA.
Lmao this relationship was destroyed by Pat Riley and was done on purpose. Anyone who doesn’t see that isn’t paying attention.
Yup. Riley used him up and doesn’t want to extend Butler. Heat fans loved Butler and Riley knows they’d be pissed if he didn’t resign him, the fault would be laid at Riley’s feet. This way he puts the blame on Butler, gets at least something back in a trade and Jimmy’s the bad guy.
There you go. I THIRD that sentiment, washington_bonercats and Tacocat1331 (from what we’ve seen and heard, at least).
Now…………let’s make this happen, Miami and either Phoenix or LA: Jimmy FREAKING Buckets….for either The Slim Reaper…OR…..for Brawny Sensation HIM-self. Oh MAKE THIS HAPPEN, Miami and either Phoenix or LA!! This could be the beginning of one of the most SUFFOCATINGLY good NBA trade deadlines of all TIIIIIIME!! (or not)
………..Wait a second. What am I texting here? Let’s be real: we all know PeJUNKA doesn’t have the testicular fortitude to even SUGGEST this idea to Brawny Sensation. MAKE IT HAPPEN, Miami and Phoenix!!
For the suns it would cost Nurkic, Allen, and most likely O’Neale. for the lakers Reeves, Rui, and christie. So either way each team is giving away their bench.
Wizards. Watch
Butler has a bad reputation that is well deserved but I think it’s unfair to blame him this time. Heat executives (mainly Riley) gave a bunch of unnecessary public criticism on multiple occasions over multiple months.
That kind of behavior would push any player away. You can’t just crap on an employee continuously and then expect them to still happily come to work for you.
There’s a reason very few teams comment on their players at all. Basic decency and respect is a thing Riley seems to not understand.
Exactly, its like 75% Pat Riley and 25% Jimmy, in this instance.
Pat Riley has been bad for the NBA since 2014.
Pat Riley being bad for the nba is a pretty awful take it general. He’s going to go down as one of the 5 or 10 more influential and successful coach/administrators in nba history.
Pat Riley has known something for a while that Jimmy & his agent are going to learn very soon – there isn’t much demand for a $35 M/yr player who makes $50 M/yr and burns bridges everywhere he plays.
jimmy is hitting the Thompson saga a big reduction in pay next year
Lavine for Butler on 3. 1 2
Nope. Heat want expiring deals. Bulls would like that though, I’d guess.
Pretty sure Chicago wouldnt want a 2nd go around on Jimmy, after the first time…
I think Dallas makes the most sense.
With Luka out 1 month or more , Jimmy can slide into the starting SF position, pushing Klay to SG until Luka is back and then they can figure it out from there. Maybe push Jimmy to the 4 or Klay to the bench. Not sure what they can offer, they have some excess big men, but having watched Grimes up close , he would probably be of interest to Pat Riley as a Butler replacement.
problem for Mavs is they have no matching money that can go out worth 448 million. Thompson would be part of out going money along with Kebler, Gafford, and Marshal. So why trade your entire bench for 1 player.
Dallas would be a spot where Butler could make an immediate impact and raise the team’s ceiling. I just don’t see how they get it done. Kleber, Washington, Gafford and Marshall get theren as far salaries. The problem is that wouldn’t leave the Mavs much depth and they don’t really have anything besides second rounders to sweeten the deal.
The problem is that Jimmy doesn’t want to play out this year ($48 M) unless he’s extended. So the only teams that will want him are teams that already know they will want him at least through 2027 when he’ll be almost 40. If Dallas trades for him with no intention of extending him, what will he do? Stand in the corner? Then exercise his option and do it all again next year for $52 M? I don’t know why a team that already has stars would do that, and I don’t know why a team trying to build out around a young core would do that. His best case scenario is that some team in basketball hell will want him (Sacramento?). Chicago appears to be trying to get out of basketball hell and would like to have its draft pick this year (top 10 protected). Is Brooklyn going to get in on this? Again, not a team that needs this headache.
If Butler thought Dallas could make a deep run and perhaps win it all he’d ball out for them. It increases his odds of getting the next contract and he’d love to win a championship.
So if he didn’t think they could make a deep run he wouldn’t ball out?
That’s kinda pathetic.
So your logic is Luka is hurt, so you replace him with another oft-injured guy?
Dallas has zero match here.
Could it get to the point where the Heat need to buy him out? This is what the Sporting News lists for his possibilities: link to sportingnews.com
He then couldn’t sign with anyone over the first apron, which is most competitive teams. Per the new CBA.
What team is dumb enough to want this headache?
Kangz
A Win Now Move for the Milwaukee Bucks trade for Butler. Middleton and Picks for Butler. Lets get this!
There is a zero percent chance of this happening.
This pretty much has to be a three team trade I would think. Who has like $35m in expiring contracts? That’s what Miami wants, short of a bunch of good young players from Houston or OKC or Memphis or somewhere, but they ain’t doing that for Jimmy.
Nuggets( for MPJ,Nnaji,pick) or to grizz( for Smart,Clarke,Aldama,picks)…
The reality is this. It’s going to be virtually impossible for the heat to get anything of value. Because you are trading a 35-year-old past-his-prime guard who is not really a good shooter to begin with, only plays hard when the feeling hits him, has a track record of creating drama with his previous teams, and not only that he has an option this summer so basically if you trade for him it’s a rental.
Jimmy to POR for Grant and matching salaries
Three-team trade.
PHI: Butler
MIA: Caleb Martin, Josh Green, Grant Williams and Drummond or Micic.
CHA: Ricky Council and three second round picks from PHI.
Three team trade with Simmons’ expiring to Miami. Team receiving Butler will forward assets desired by Nets.
How about the Hawks? I think they have a couple expirings.
HOU Jock/Tate for Butler
SURVEY: CAM JOHNSON TO GSW?
When asked last week what Dubs are looking for, MDJr said “we’re always looking for outside shooting and length”. That may explain why we’re STILL hearing Cam Johnson rumors this week.
WHAT DO GSW FANS THINK OF THIS LINEUP?
These 7 players play 28+ mins per game:
1. PG Curry 6’2
2. PF/SF Kuminga 6’8
3. SF/PF Cam Johnson 6’9
4. SG/SF Wiggins 6’8
5. C/PF Green 6’7
6. PG/SG Schroder 6’2
7. C Jackson Davis 6’9
Based on situation, remaining mins go to bench players.
Thoughts:
– Johnson adds 3pt & movement shooting, & length
– Stronger wing/ 3pt defense with JK, Wiggs, & Johnson
– Smallish interior defense with Green, TJD, Kuminga
– Playoff-ready rotation – balanced, all 7 can defend.
Assuming no stretch big falls from the sky, I think this is the most likely trade for GSW before Feb 3.
I know this is a long shot but…
Haichimura, Vanderbilt, Christie, Vincent and Schifino for Jimmy Butler straight up.
Reaves Butler James Davis Hayes start
Dalton off the bench and build the bench back with minimum salaries.
Replace reeves with Vanderbilt and they probably do it. Heat are not taking Vincent and Vanderbilt who bring very little and both cost against the capo next year.
Jimmy’s post season play will be missed. I thought he was settled and over his past shenanigans. Hopefully they can get a somewhat decent return in trade.
They’re getting Beal and they’re gonna have to suck it up.
MIA: Beal, Dunn, a couple of 2nds
PHX: Butler, Jovic
Burks from MIA to anyone for free
Beal has a no trade clause and he loves Phoenix
So Ben Simmons is going to finish his career in Miami?
So much for MIA doesn’t get pushed and do what star players want, right?
BTW, hopefully Riley will get fired soon, otherwise it will be awkward when they have to bring Butler back for his number retirement ceremony, right?
So glad I’m not hearing butler to spurs rumors…
Butler “mentoring” Wemby reminds me of the Big Bang Theory episode when this North Korean prodigy comes to the university and Sheldon and co. corrupt him so badly that he ends up sitting in the park drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana.
The only team that makes sense is the 76ers. But would Riley want a max Paul George. Philly could still package George & multiple 1st’s. Outside of Chicago, Philly and Suns. I dont see who really can and would want to make this move.
Nobody is giving any picks for Butler. He’s basically gonna get cut by Miami or won’t play. They’ll take the salary cap relief and be happy lol
Detroit for Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr
Brooklyn for Ben Simmons/Melton contract
Those are dumps and then Brooklyn can try to flip him again and Detroit can use him to get to the postseason for the first time in forever