The trade drama revolving around Jimmy Butler seemingly reached its peak on Thursday night, when the six-time All-Star announced he’s lost his joy for playing basketball and is open to restoring it “wherever that may be.”
His comments came days after expressing uncertainty about wanting to remain in Miami, which should come as no surprise to longstanding observers. Since last season, tensions have festered between Butler and team president Pat Riley, who publicly lamented the five-time All-NBA selection’s inconsistent on-court availability despite having led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances since the 2019-20 season, Butler’s first in South Florida.
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But much has changed since Miami’s second Butler-led run to the championship round in 2023, especially as teammates Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro have grown into more prominent roles both because of Butler’s sporadic absences (he’s never played 70 regular-season games in a Heat uniform) and age (he turns 36 on Sept. 14). But before we examine Miami’s current state, let’s do a relevant rehashing of how matters have festered in under a calendar year.
Jimmy Butler-Heat Impasse Timeline
• May 4, 2024 — Butler, who sat out the Heat’s five-game, first-round elimination by the Boston Celtics in last year’s playoffs, claims he’d have sent the eventual champions and New York Knicks home.
#RTBExclusive: @JimmyButler said what he said. Do you think Miami would have beaten Boston in the #NBAPlayoffs if Playoff Jimmy Butler was playing? pic.twitter.com/4HvHKhTsCM
— Rock The Bells (@RockTheBells) May 4, 2024
• May 6, 2024 — During an official team news conference, Riley responds to Butler’s claims: “If you’re not on the court playing, you should keep your mouth shut.”
Pat Riley on Jimmy Butler: “If you’re not on the court playing, you should keep your mouth shut.” pic.twitter.com/BorsYtOu8J
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) May 6, 2024
• May 30, 2024 — Anthony Slater of The Athletic says the Golden State Warriors could be among Butler’s potential suitors, should Miami make him available for a trade.
• June 28, 2024 — With one season and $48.8 million remaining on his contract, Butler decides against an extension and chooses to play out the rest of his deal.
• Sept. 30, 2024 — At Miami’s media day, Butler deflects rumors of trade drama and says he wants to focus on the season ahead. “I guess I’ve got to go and hoop. I’ve got to prove that I am a major part of winning, and rightfully so. I’ve done it before. This is no different. … That stuff will take care of itself.”
• Dec. 12, 2024 — Jimmy Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, denies rumors about Butler preferring a trade out of Miami.
• Dec. 26, 2024 — Riley and the Heat issue a team statement saying Miami will not trade Butler.
• Tuesday — During media availability after practice, as he prepared to return from a five-game absence, Butler says he’s uncertain if he wants to remain in Miami anymore.
• Thursday — After a second consecutive single-digit scoring effort, Butler explains he’s lost his love for basketball and expresses interest in being traded to any other NBA team.
Even before Butler’s performance on Thursday, which saw him sit out the final 13:54 of Miami’s 128-115 loss to the Indiana Pacers, the team’s energy seemingly fluctuated between focused and tense. On one hand, there was an obvious game to prepare for, so Erik Spoelstra and Miami’s coaching staff were doing everything to concentrate Miami’s focus on the task ahead.
On the other hand, it took a few call-outs about lacking focus and dialing up effort to ensure players were ready to play. One coach lamented a few “weak a– closeouts” as another clapped loudly for players to “get their minds right” and “wake up.”
The team’s energy did pick up as several veterans made their way to the court to practice. Terry Rozier III, fresh off his one-game suspension, heard cheers from teammates as he prepared to warm up. Adebayo and backup center Kevin Love were all laughs as they sat on the bench shortly before doing their parts in walkthroughs. As is the case when Miami’s starting lineups are announced, Butler was last to arrive and sat by himself for a few moments before engaging with teammates and huddling up as Spoelstra complimented the Heat’s effort on Wednesday night.
Miami was preparing for its third back-to-back in two weeks before its upcoming six-game road trip out West, but Spoelstra wasn’t the least bit concerned about player fatigue before Thursday’s double-digit loss. Even with external noise, he just wanted to remain focused on the task at hand.
“These guys are rested. They feel fine,” Spoelstra said.
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But once the game was over, any fatigue worth identifying was clearly more mental than physical. News conferences were shorter than usual and understandably tense. Adebayo and Herro spoke about the Butler drama but did their best to take the high road while prioritizing Miami’s bigger picture, whether Butler remains in it for the long term. The Heat (17-15) fell to 6-9 against teams .500 or better and remain on the brink of Play-In contention in an East.
While the Butler drama has understandably drained Miami of its good energy, the impasse is colored by an important fork in the road: How do you rely on or build around a player who is either sporadically available or mentally checked out?
“How else you going to deal with it? Go out there and play basketball still,” Adebayo said. “It’s still our job. It’s still what takes care of our family, takes care of a lot of us. So, we can’t slow down. We have to figure out how to win games and push through.”
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The cloud hanging over Miami’s head has gradually grown into a $52.4 million overcast as Butler inches closer to either being dealt by the Feb. 6 trade deadline or deciding on how to navigate his player option this summer. If he declines the option, he could hit the free-agent market and sign with his team of choice, though the second apron lurks over the shoulder of any team sizing up the move.
Can Butler notch one more big payday? That remains to be seen for several reasons. Miami could relent and trade him for pennies on the dollar to alleviate the headache, making it easier for Butler’s next potential team to hammer out a deal … if he somehow doesn’t dissolve into a rental there. In another world — one sans public barbs and passive-aggressive tactics — maybe Butler and Miami work things out via a contract extension; but we’re drifting further and further from that possibility.
Herro said he doesn’t question the vibes of the team and was doing his best to involve Butler, who expressed frustration over the regression in his usage and role on the team. Butler remains steadfast in his desire and ability to compete, but it’s clear he has other points to prove as he continues navigating his next basketball chapter.
“I think it’s a bad night all around,” Adebayo said. “Lose the game … Obviously, he’s frustrated. He feels like he was standing in the corner. He’s got a lot of things going on in his corner. For us, keep the main thing the main thing, like our coach always tells us. We play to win, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Ultimately, no matter how much frustration Butler expresses (whether via statement or a one-legged, fadeaway 3-pointer), Riley holds the cards, whether it requires him to finally make a trade or somehow to ignore Butler’s demands until the summer.
(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
