One NBA insider believes that Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler put the franchise in a tough position, sharing that he was making life “miserable” for everyone involved.
Butler has been suspended by the Heat for seven games, and the franchise has backtracked on its original stance that it would not trade the six-time All-Star.
“The bottom line is, the guy had put the Heat in an untenable situation,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps said. “Because, there’s not a trade available to them that they want to make right now. And he was going out of his way to make life miserable for everybody involved.”
It was recently reported that Miami could potentially call Butler’s bluff and keep him on the roster for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
After leading the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances in his first four seasons with the franchise, Butler has seen things go downhill in his Miami tenure as of late.
Miami was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round last season by the Boston Celtics, and Butler did not play in that series due to an injury. Heat president Pat Riley called Butler out after he made comments about the Celtics and New York Knicks, stating that the star forward should keep his mouth shut if he’s not on the floor.
Butler and the Heat never agreed to a contract extension before the start of the 2024-25 season, and it seems that has boiled over into the campaign with Butler currently unhappy with the Heat.
He has a player option in his contract for next season that he could decline to become an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason.
This season has been a rough one for Butler, as he’s averaging just 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 55.2 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. He’s averaging his fewest points per game since the 2013-14 season when he was a member of the Chicago Bulls.
It’s possible that the Heat will try to bring Butler back to the roster after his suspension is over, but there’s a chance that the relationship between the star player and the organization is damaged beyond repair.
So far in the 2024-25 campaign, the Heat have a 17-16 record and hold the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. They’ll look to add a win to that record on Monday night when they take on the Sacramento Kings.