The Miami Heat are listening to trade offers for Jimmy Butler. Their star doesn’t seem to mind the rumors.
Butler, who has been the centerpiece of the Heat since 2019, told reporters, “I actually like it” when there’s trade speculation about him. “It’s good to be talked about. I don’t think there’s such a thing as bad publicity — to a point,” he said.
The Heat and Butler are in an uneasy standoff over his NBA future. He’s signed through this season, with a player option for 2025-26 worth $52.4M. That’s a lot for a player who will be 36 years old next year, even a player who has taken the Heat to the NBA Finals twice, and come one shot away from a third Finals trip in a Game 7 conference finals loss.
Miami is torn between sticking with a team that’s won three straight to vault into fifth place in the Eastern Conference and making sure Butler doesn’t leave for nothing. Or, making sure Butler doesn’t stay when they aren’t sure they want to pay him over $50M. Team executives have talked about their desire to avoid the “super punitive” penalties for repeatedly exceeding the luxury tax, which would be tough to avoid if Butler opts in.
As for Butler, he might need a trade if he wants to get the destination and salary figures he wants. Thanks to the added restrictions of the league’s new CBA, it’s become less and less common for stars to switch teams via free agency.
Butler would likely prefer to opt in to next year’s deal after a trade than to roll the dice in unrestricted free agency. The more teams that are interested in acquiring Butler now, the better his options.
Right now, Butler has all the leverage. But he hasn’t asked for a trade or expressed unhappiness with the Heat either. For their part, being stuck with Butler for a playoff run isn’t a bad outcome at all.