Six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler’s time with the Miami Heat is finally coming to an end after the guard announced that he wants to be traded having “lost his joy” playing for the team after a loss to the Indiana Pacers recently.
The Heat, to contain the distraction and fallout of Butler’s statements, quickly suspended him for the next seven games due to “conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks.”
The end to this relationship has been a long-time coming since the Heat don’t want to extend Butler. At age 35, he will be making nearly $49 million this season with a player option of $52.4 million in 2025/26.
Butler’s relationship with team president Pat Riley has been frayed with the former’s antics rubbing the latter the wrong way. In last year’s playoff matchup with the Boston Celtics, Butler trolled the Celtics when it lost Game 2. This resulted in Riley calling out Butler, who was injured, basically saying “if you are not on the court, you should shut up.”
The Riley-Butler partnership worked for a while resulting in three Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals appearances over the past five years but at the end of the day, this is Pat Riley’s team. Riley will always do what is best for Miami even if it means clashing with his superstars. He was at loggerheads with Shaquille O’Neal which resulted in the big man being traded to the Phoenix Suns. Riley also had a falling out with Heat legend Dwayne Wade. Riley also didn’t allow LeBron James free rein during his championship years with the Heat.
While Jimmy Butler is a killer in the playoffs and is uber competitive with the mindset that he can beat anybody, his antics rub many the wrong way and his constant unavailability has finally forced Riley to pull the plug and look for trade partners.
Trade partners include the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and even the Dallas Mavericks who are all in “win-now” mode and would be willing to spend the extra money to sign Jimmy Butler to a longer contract even if he is already at the tail end of his career.
The Warriors are looking to give ageing stars Steph Curry and Draymond Green one last championship run before riding off into the sunset. Butler’s skillset will fit well into coach Steve Kerr’s system. He will also bolster the Warriors’ defense.
The Rockets, meanwhile, have a ton of young talent that the Heat covet and could in fact give them the needed boost. The Heat don’t rebuild, and they continue to develop their own picks knowing that they will be competitive year-in and year-out with coach Erik Spoelstra at the helm. Spoelstra is considered one of the best coached in the NBA. The Mavericks are less likely to trade their depth for one more All-Star since they are already contenders with or without Butler.
While Heat fans may deem this an end of an era (it is), this is also the best way forward for the team. This breakup needs to happen soon before it gets too ugly and distracts the team from this season’s goals.
raffyrledesma@yahoo.com
