Jimmy Butler trade seems inevitable, but there are complications

Editor's Note: The Miami Heat on Friday night suspended Jimmy Butler seven games "for multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team" and said they will listen to trade offers.

Jimmy Butler’s time with the Miami Heat is nearing an end.

The question is: Before the Feb. 6 trade deadline or after the 2024-25 season?

The topic of Butler’s future escalated in the past 48 hours, following his performance in the Heat’s 119-108 victory against New Orleans Wednesday, a game in which Butler had nine points on five shot attempts.

Though it was his first game back after missing two weeks with an illness, the Heat seemingly were unhappy with Butler’s effort, and he did not play in the fourth quarter.

While Butler’s name has been mentioned in trade talks prior to this season, the Heat and Butler’s side first had a serious talk about a trade on Thursday, ahead of the Heat’s 128-115 loss to Indiana. Butler had nine points on six field-goal attempts.

After the game, Butler told reporters, "I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be, we’ll find out here pretty soon. I’m happy here off the court, but I want to be back to somewhat dominant, I want to hoop, and I want to help this team win, and right now I’m not doing it."

Can he rediscover that joy with the Heat? "Probably not," Butler answered.

What’s next? A trade seems inevitable, but it has complications, starting with Heat president Pat Riley’s statement on Dec. 26 saying amid speculation about Butler’s future: “We will make it clear – we are not trading Jimmy Butler."

At that time though, Butler had not made a trade request privately or publicly. It hasn’t helped that multiple teams have called the Heat about Butler’s availability, and those calls have been leaked, creating an intense focus on Butler’s future. But the breaking point arrived this week with Butler’s return to the court. The friction has grown.

It may have been Riley’s intention to keep Butler with Miami through the remainder of the season – the Heat are 17-15 and in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. They are among a group of teams hovering around .500 who could earn a fourth seed in the playoffs or fall into the play-in game.

And it was Butler’s intent to spend the entire season with the Heat, have a great year and evaluate his options in the offseason. Butler is under contract at $52.4 million in 2025-26 but can become a free agent, which is what he planned to do. Those options included re-signing with the Heat, but that no longer seems possible.

Butler is being used differently in Miami’s offense this season. His role has shrunk. Last season, he averaged a team-high 20.8 points on 13.2 shots and 49.9% shooting from the field and added 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. His usage rating – the percentage of offensive possessions that end with that player – was 23.5.

This season, Butler averages 17.6 points on 55.2% shooting but just 10.5 shots per game and an usage rating of 20.3. His minutes have fallen from 34 per game last season to 30.8 this season. Still, the Heat are better with Butler on the court (Miami outscores opponents by 4.3 points per 100 possessions with him on the court vs. being outscored by less than a point with him on the bench.)

Butler, 35, remains a positive two-way contributor.

Now, the tricky part: finding the right deal. Butler’s contract eliminates some teams from acquiring him, and with the possibility of either free agency in the summer or one season at $50 million-plus for 2025-26, the team acquiring him would be reluctant to give up too many assets for a player who may be there short-term. That team must have confidence it can retain him.

Similarly, if the Heat trade him, they’re looking for a return that helps now and in the future. It’s a delicate dance. Also, the Heat historically have not been a team that makes monumental trade-deadline deals. They prefer to reshape the roster in the offseason.

But the situation has reached a point where a split is beneficial for both sides. The partnership has been productive, with Miami going to the Finals in 2020 and 2023.

But what once was is no longer, and that’s OK. To get where each wants to go, separate ways are required.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heat trading Jimmy Butler seems inevitable, but complications exist