Celtics Foe Taking Firm Stance Amid Jimmy Butler Trade Chatter
Heat president Pat Riley has had enough
With under two months until the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline, the Miami Heat are stuck in a complicated situation involving franchise star Jimmy Butler.
Butler, now in his sixth season with the Heat, “prefers” a trade out of Miami before the deadline, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The six-time All-Star has played leader of the underdog Heat, leading the organization twice to an NBA Finals appearance and four times to the Eastern Conference finals, yet it hasn’t been enough.
And even though Butler’s failure to deliver a Larry O’Brien Trophy to Miami has prompted a desire to seek a better-positioned franchise — the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets — the Heat aren’t ready to budge.
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“We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches. Therefore, we will make it clear — We are not trading Jimmy Butler,” Heat president Pat Riley said, per a team-released statement.
Butler most recently endured a sprained MCL during last season’s play-in tournament, sidelining the 35-year-old for the rest of Miami’s playoff run. This forced Butler to watch the Heat, who despite snagging an improbable Game 2 win over the loaded Boston Celtics in Round 1, fall apart and swallow an early exit — Boston eliminated the Heat in five games, outscoring Miami by 68 points in Games 3 through 5.
The 14-year veteran even fired a petty shot toward Boston, claiming the Celtics would be “home” had he not been injured. Riley, in response, suggested Butler “keep (his) mouth shut,” while Boston trotted its way to seizing Banner 18.
Miami, currently in sixth place in the East with a mediocre 14-13 record, isn’t looking promising although Butler’s production has remained strong. He’s averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists on 55.2% shooting from the field across 20 games, generating interest from teams across the league.
Butler intends to decline his $52 million 2025-26 option, per Charania, to become an unrestricted free agent in July.
Previously, it seemed as though the Butler developments coming out of South Beach, Florida were going to favor the title-defending Celtics. Butler’s given Boston problems more than anyone else in the conference over the past half-decade and removing him from Miami removes the Heat as a threat to the Celtics entirely.
The Heat have already lost their fire in recent years as Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo haven’t been enough to keep Miami from cooling away from the conference’s contention circle. If Butler’s departure is as inevitable as reports have suggested, perhaps Riley would be better off cutting Miami’s loss and turning the split into a consolation prize before the deadline comes and goes.
