Shams: Butler Prefers A Trade Out Of Miami By Trade Deadline (Update: GSW)

[Who]

At this point, I would trade him to New Orleans for Zion. Or some other bad situation.

I think a deal with New Orleans where they send Ingram + Herb Jones + pick(s) for Butler can work. Or some iteration of Ingram + young players and picks. I doubt the Pelicans want to pay Ingram. And this way they create sort of a Big 3 with Zion/Butler/McCollum, while MIA gets Ingram and some other assets. In theory Ingram can still keep MIA competitive.

I don't think I'd want to pay Butler if I were the Pels. A 35-year old malcontent with a fading game that misses at least 1/4 of the season every year doesn't sound like a good long-term investment.

Well you hit on the reason that NO team has not traded for him yet.

It will be interestin to see what NOP does trade Ingram for though. They seem committed to moving him. No extension = trade. No other options.

It will be interesting to see what they can get for Ingram at the trade deadline. There doesn't seem to be much interest. The offers will be bad. Somebody could get a steal.

[Surferdad]

Maybe NOP, Miami and PHO get together to rearrange the deck chairs on their respective titanics.

[Phantom255x]

Grizzlies seemed to have momentum for a Butler deal, but Haynes reporting Butler?s camp is telling the Grizz and a ?few other teams? not to trade for him.

So much for wanting to be ?anywhere but Miami?   

[Who]

"We have a big problem here because Jimmy Butler isn't going to extend with any team," said Windhorst on First Take on Tuesday. "Because teams know that, they are offering the Heat right now the poo poo platter.

"There's only one team that's ready to pay Jimmy Butler exactly what he wants and that's the Phoenix Suns."

Butler is on a seven-game suspension and the Heat expect him to play for them again when it concludes assuming he is not traded by then.

"We are at a genuine stalemate," said Windhorst. "I don't know how it's going to play out. The Heat are preparing internally for this to last past suspension. Not because they have some sort of sinister motive but because they know what offers they've gotten and they stink."

Butler is in the final season of a $49 million contract and has a player option for $52 million in 25-26.

"At the heart of this, it's about money," said Windhorst.

[Vermont Green]

Grizzlies seemed to have momentum for a Butler deal, but Haynes reporting Butler's camp is telling the Grizz and a "few other teams" not to trade for him.

So much for wanting to be "anywhere but Miami"   

I guess there could be a match here.  The following worked on Trade Machine:

Smart, Clarke, Kennard ($42M)
for
Butler, Love ($48.8M)

But if Butler does not want to resign there after the trade, where is he going to sign?  The only team that is going to be able to give him any kind of real money is the team that owns his Bird rights.

I think Butler is overplaying his hand.  If MIA doesn't trade him, and he opts out of next year's contract, who is going to be able to pay him?  He would be free to go to PHX if that is where he wanted to go, but he would have to go on a min contract.  If Windhorst is right and this is about money for Butler (maybe MIA low balled him with an extension offer), he may not have as much leverage as he thinks.

[Phantom255x]

Grizzlies seemed to have momentum for a Butler deal, but Haynes reporting Butler's camp is telling the Grizz and a "few other teams" not to trade for him.

So much for wanting to be "anywhere but Miami"   

I guess there could be a match here.  The following worked on Trade Machine:

Smart, Clarke, Kennard ($42M)
for
Butler, Love ($48.8M)

But if Butler does not want to resign there after the trade, where is he going to sign?  The only team that is going to be able to give him any kind of real money is the team that owns his Bird rights.

I think Butler is overplaying his hand.  If MIA doesn't trade him, and he opts out of next year's contract, who is going to be able to pay him?  He would be free to go to PHX if that is where he wanted to go, but he would have to go on a min contract.  If Windhorst is right and this is about money for Butler (maybe MIA low balled him with an extension offer), he may not have as much leverage as he thinks.

Yeah I don't think Butler has much leverage. Even next offseason there's also the issue of, how many teams realistically have the cap space to acquire him for a max or near-max? Not many.

Idk if there's real internal beef within the organization but I think Butler was better off just keeping his mouth shut, playing through the season and then opting-in to his contract or being in a better position to renegotiate and get a multi-year deal. He could have quietly "hurt something" and then just sat out for a while on the sidelines using that as an excuse. He's already costing himself a decent amount of money just sitting games. I think I read the 7-game suspension alone costs him 3.5M.

[Kernewek]

Grizzlies seemed to have momentum for a Butler deal, but Haynes reporting Butler's camp is telling the Grizz and a "few other teams" not to trade for him.

So much for wanting to be "anywhere but Miami"   

I guess there could be a match here.  The following worked on Trade Machine:

Smart, Clarke, Kennard ($42M)
for
Butler, Love ($48.8M)

But if Butler does not want to resign there after the trade, where is he going to sign?  The only team that is going to be able to give him any kind of real money is the team that owns his Bird rights.

I think Butler is overplaying his hand.  If MIA doesn't trade him, and he opts out of next year's contract, who is going to be able to pay him?  He would be free to go to PHX if that is where he wanted to go, but he would have to go on a min contract.  If Windhorst is right and this is about money for Butler (maybe MIA low balled him with an extension offer), he may not have as much leverage as he thinks.

Yeah I don't think Butler has much leverage. Even next offseason there's also the issue of, how many teams realistically have the cap space to acquire him for a max or near-max? Not many.

Idk if there's real internal beef within the organization but I think Butler was better off just keeping his mouth shut, playing through the season and then opting-in to his contract or being in a better position to renegotiate and get a multi-year deal. He could have quietly "hurt something" and then just sat out for a while on the sidelines using that as an excuse. He's already costing himself a decent amount of money just sitting games. I think I read the 7-game suspension alone costs him 3.5M.

On the other hand, you could say that he has a lot of leverage with Miami via his player option, but the current CBA is going to discourage the teams who could use a player like him (playoff teams looking for an extra piece to take them over the top) from being able to get him in any meaningful way.

[Who]

The Miami Heat are attempting to position themselves to have max cap space during the 2026 offseason. Miami has only $85 million committed for the 26-27 season against a projected salary cap of $170.6 million.

Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson are among the current players on the Heat who will come off their books that offseason.

[Roy H.]

The Miami Heat are attempting to position themselves to have max cap space during the 2026 offseason. Miami has only $85 million committed for the 26-27 season against a projected salary cap of $170.6 million.

Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson are among the current players on the Heat who will come off their books that offseason.

So, two summers from now, not this summer, correct?

If so, my proposal of Tobias Harris + Tim Hardaway Jr. (as the main pieces) makes sense.  Get it done, haha.

[Vermont Green]

The Miami Heat are attempting to position themselves to have max cap space during the 2026 offseason. Miami has only $85 million committed for the 26-27 season against a projected salary cap of $170.6 million.

Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson are among the current players on the Heat who will come off their books that offseason.

It is interesting that this is being put out there.  Miami extended Adebayo at $50+ for 3 years starting in the 2026-27 season.  The only other guaranteed money at that point is Herro who is at $33M for the 2026-27 season (final year of contract).  Other than that, it is all club options (rookie deals) and RFAs.  Butler probably wanted an extension like Adebayo got but Adebayo is 27, Butler is 35.  I can see where Riley is coming from.  Jimmy Butler is not in the plan for the next rebuild; Adebayo is.  In the meantime, Riley expects Buter to honor his contract.

Two very strong willed men butting heads here.  I don't see that Riley has done anything wrong.  He gets to decide who he wants to extend and who he doesn't.  In the meantime, the Heat will pay Butler about $49M and $52M for these two seasons (assuming Butler takes his option).  Butler can opt out at the end of the season and go anywhere he wants, he just won't be able to get big money.  Or he can finish out in MIA and collect all the money.

Since joining the Heat, he has averaged 58 games per season (5 seasons prior to this one).

[hodgy03038]

Butler is like the new Kyrie. No loyalty and he wants to call all of the shots of where he goes. Not sure who really would want to take on that baggage.

[Phantom255x]

Doesn't his "suspension" end soon. Is he gonna suit up or just sit out lol? Or will the suspension be "extended"

[Goldstar88]

Butler is like the new Kyrie. No loyalty and he wants to call all of the shots of where he goes. Not sure who really would want to take on that baggage.

Butler is acting like any other star player in the NBA that wants to be moved. KD, AD, Harden, Kawhi, Lillard, Etc.

[tenn_smoothie]

Butler is like the new Kyrie. No loyalty and he wants to call all of the shots of where he goes. Not sure who really would want to take on that baggage.

Butler is acting like any other star player in the NBA that wants to be moved. KD, AD, Harden, Kawhi, Lillard, Etc.

Butler was suspended by Pat Riley for "conduct detrimental to the team".

That would put him in the same low-life company of Kyrie and Harden.
Maybe not the others as much, though they are all self-absorbed prima donnas.
There are star players who don't act so selfishly, though their numbers are dwindling with each generation.

So Jimmy Butler is due to make $100M over the next two seasons in Miami and he supposedly wants out over money ? Huh ?
The guy is a head case and always has been. Imagine if we had acquired him along with Kyrie a few years back as was considered ?

[Vermont Green]

The Suns have positioned themselves as a top contender to land disgruntled Heat star Jimmy Butler as the NBA trade deadline approaches on Feb. 6.

Phoenix sent its 2031 unprotected first-round pick to Utah for three future first-round picks, the Jazz announced Tuesday.

The Suns will receive the least favorable first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029 among the Jazz?s, Cavaliers? and Timberwolves? selections those years.

Butler + Alec Burks
for
Beal

...works in the Fanspo trade machine.  Why would MIA want to sign on to 3 years of Bradley Beal though?  I guess Beal is 31, not 35 like Butler.  Third team?