Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler’s desire to be traded elsewhere has been public knowledge for over a month now. On Jan. 2, ESPN’s Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst reported that Butler had indicated to the Heat that he’d like to be dealt.
Yet, Butler is still a member of the Heat, and Miami is running out of time to agree to a deal before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. According to Ira Winderman, if Thursday’s deadline passes without Butler changing teams, there will be discussions on how to integrate the 35-year-old back into the lineup as Heat owner Micky Arison doesn’t want Butler to collect his salary while being away from the team.
“If there is no Butler trade by Thursday’s deadline, then it will reopen the debate of whether Butler could be worked back into the mix for the balance of the season,” Winderman wrote. “Heat owner Micky Arison is reportedly against the notion of allowing Butler to remain away from the team while collecting salary.”
Butler last took the floor with his Heat teammates when Miami played the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 21. The Heat lost that game, and Butler finished with only 13 points on nine shot attempts from the field.
Miami has played a lot of basketball since Butler’s most recent appearance. Butler has been sidelined for every one of the team’s last five games, though Miami has remained competitive without him. The Heat have a 3-2 record over that span with victories coming over the Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs.
Maybe the Heat’s solid record of late without Butler in the lineup is a product of the notion that the team has grown accustomed to playing with him not out on the court. Thanks to several suspensions, Butler has played in only three games with Miami since he made comments about losing his joy for basketball following the squad’s loss to the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 2.
"Probably not."
—Jimmy Butler when asked if he could get his joy back in Miami. pic.twitter.com/5gahEJxWM7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 3, 2025
Butler is currently suspended indefinitely by Miami.
After all of the drama that’s gone on between Butler and the Heat over the last month-plus, it should be fascinating to find out whether the forward will still be a member of the Heat in a few days. If the answer is yes, the Heat could have their work cut out for them in trying to get Butler acclimated with the team again.