Jimmy Butler tried to quiet quit the Heat Thursday night with a lackluster nine-point, four-assist outing, after which he told reporters, “I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be.”
Don’t try to bully Pat Riley. Friday evening, the Heat brought the hammer with a seven-game suspension for Butler.
Through his actions and statements, he has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team. Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they wish to be traded, therefore, we will listen to offers.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 4, 2025
The suspension will cost Butler $2.35 million in game checks, according to Bobby Marks. The suspension will run through an upcoming six-game Miami road trip and is set to end when the Heat return home on Jan. 17.
The NBA players’ union will dispute the suspension, its leaders said in a statement. They can go ahead with that, but the appeals process is long and will not stop the suspension from taking place (it could save Butler some money down the line).
Miami’s statement it is listening to trade offers reverses the team’s previous statement and position that it would not trade Butler. The six-time All-Star reportedly is open to playing anywhere but Miami. Miami is rumored to be looking for players who are more win-now and can complete a rebuild on the fly around Bam Adebayo, not young players and draft picks that will take time to develop. Miami also does not want to take back long-term money in a trade.
However, most of the “good” players teams are willing to trade mid-season are available for a reason and may not interest the Heat, or be on a bad contract. Combine that with Miami being over the first luxury tax apron — meaning it cannot take back $1 more than it sends out in a trade — and it will be difficult to construct a trade for Butler.
Butler said he wants to “get my joy back from playing basketball,” but make no mistake, this is all about money. Butler is making $48.8 million this season, with a player option for $52.4 million next season, and he wanted a two-year extension in the nine-figure range last summer, but Pat Riley shot him down. Since that moment, the situation has deteriorated and Butler now wants to be somewhere else, ideally someone who will pay him.
Butler has a massive contract that is difficult to trade, and any team that does trade for him will want to re-sign or extend him (although maybe not at the numbers Butler expected from Miami). That makes finding a trade partner that much more challenging. Miami signaled with this statement that it will listen to anything, but history suggests Pat Riley will not just take back anything, this has to be a deal that works for the Heat (again, the key is no long-term money on the books).
This saga is far from over, but Butler will not be hanging around the Heat as a distraction for the next couple of weeks.
