Report: Miami Heat have ‘top priority’ in mind for any potential Jimmy Butler trade

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Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald is reporting that the Miami Heat have a “top priority” in any potential deal shipping star forward Jimmy Butler out of Miami, and that is to land a quality player (or multiple) who can help the team win right now.

“While the Heat prefers to get a deal done sooner rather than later because Butler’s wish to be traded has become clear, league sources have emphasized that the Heat won’t act out of desperation and will only accept an offer it feels helps the team now and moving forward,” Chiang wrote.

“In any Butler trade, the Heat wants to acquire a quality player (or players) who can help the team this season. That will be the top priority for Miami. But the Heat also doesn’t want to take back long-term salary that’s going to clog its salary cap for the 2026 offseason, unless it’s for top-end All-Star talent. Draft capital is also critical for the Heat, as it currently only has one unprotected first-round pick that it can deal away.”

Butler returned from a seven-game suspension when the Heat took on the Denver Nuggets on Friday. In just over 33 minutes of playing time against the 2023 NBA champions, he dropped 18 points while shooting 7-of-15 from the field, 0-of-2 from deep and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.

His presence wasn’t enough for the Heat to come away with a victory, as the team lost by 20 points behind a big scoring game from Nuggets guard Jamal Murray.

The Phoenix Suns have been connected to Butler in recent trade rumors, but it has been reported numerous times that the Heat wouldn’t be interested in acquiring Suns guard Bradley Beal, complicating matters.

Phoenix has experimented with having Beal come off the bench lately. He hasn’t started in any of his last six appearances. He’s on the heels of a quiet offensive showing against the Atlanta Hawks a few days back, as he dropped only 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting from the floor.

Beal would almost certainly have a larger role on the offensive side of the ball if he were dealt to Miami. Heat guard Tyler Herro is the only player on the team averaging 20-plus points per game this season. Herro is at 24.2 points per contest on 47.7 percent shooting from the field and 40.6 percent shooting from deep.

But again, there’s no reason to believe that Beal will end up in a Miami uniform, even though he remains a talented player who has earned three All-Star nods over the years.

Butler is still a member of the Heat as of now. The uncertainty surrounding his situation will remain a topic of conversation until a resolution is reached.

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Jesse is a 23-year-old sports journalist with extensive experience covering the NBA.