Heat Star Jimmy Butler Requests Trade to ‘Anywhere’ But Miami

Six-time All-Star Miami Heat small forward Jimmy Butler has reportedly doubled down on his demand to be shipped out of town.

Sources inform Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst of ESPN that the 6-foot-7 swingman out of Marquette hasn’t budged on his behind-the-scenes request to be traded away from the Heat this year, after failing to come to terms on an extension agreement during the 2024 offseason.

“He is open to playing anywhere other than Miami and believes he can make any team a contender — no matter where he is moved,” Charania and Windhorst write.

Butler intends to practice and play games with the Heat while, he hopes, the team fields trade offers, per ESPN.

Following a 128-115 defeat on Thursday night to the Indiana Pacers (the game wasn’t quite that close, and the margin only narrowed after Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra inserted his bench), Butler got shockingly candid about his feelings during a presser. In that contest, he scored a scant nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field (1-of-2 from long range) and 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line, plus four assists, two rebounds and two steals. He also posted a game-worst -27 plus-minus.

The loss dropped the Heat to a 17-15 record on the year, good for the No. 6 seed in the East.

“I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be, we’ll find out here pretty soon,” Butler said. “I’m happy here off the court but I want to be back to somewhat dominant, I want to hoop and I want to help this team win, and right now I’m not doing it.”

In response to a question about whether or not he would be able to recapture that “joy” if he remained in South Beach, Butler got icy.

“Probably not,” the five-time All-NBA honoree said.

The Pacers bout represented only Butler’s second game since returning to the Heat following an illness. Head coach Erik Spoelstra held him out of the fourth quarters of both Thursday’s Pacers clash and a Wednesday win over the lowly New Orleans Pelicans. Butler scored just nine points in that game, too.

“I’m going out there to compete either way; whether I score nine points or 29 points I will compete,” Butler said during his Thursday presser. “You won’t say I’m not out there playing hard. It may look like that because my usage is down and I don’t shoot the ball a lot but (you can’t say) I’m not playing hard.”

The Heat have talked with a few clubs about potential Butler deals, but there has reportedly been limited movement on that front.

Per Charania and Windhorst, Butler’s representation met with Miami majority owner Micky Arison and team president Pat Riley to figure out a way forward for Butler on the roster. Sources indicated to ESPN that the two sides have struggled to reach an accord.

Riley issued a public statement in an effort to quell swirling Butler trade rumors last month, insisting Miami would not move on from its best two-way player this year.

Read more: Pat Riley Releases Statement on Jimmy Butler Trade Rumors

This is not the first time Butler has attempted to force his way off a roster. Tensions over other players’ salaries and motivation levels bubbled over while he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he eventually compelled the club to trade him. He was flipped to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he joined a loaded team next to then-All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Philadelphia pushed the eventual 2019 league champion Toronto Raptors to seven games in the second round before being eliminated.

Butler departed for the Heat in a sign-and-trade deal that summer. Next to rising star center Bam Adebayo, Butler led Miami to a pair of surprise NBA Finals appearances twice, plus another run to the Eastern Conference Finals, in the ensuing four seasons. As the best player on those Heat teams, Butler cemented his case to be a likely Hall of Famer whenever he does hang up his sneakers.

Although it appeared that he had found his long-term home in Miami, it appears that the team’s relatively dormant 2024 offseason following a five-game first-round playoff exit, plus the botched extension conversations, have created a deep chasm in what has been the most productive tenure of Butler’s NBA career to this point.

Read more: Top Five Landing Spots for Heat Star Jimmy Butler Amid Trade Rumors

This year, the 35-year-old is averaging 17.5 points on .552/.375/.788 shooting splits, 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.2 steals a night in 22 games. Even in his relative dotage, Butler remains one of the best two-way players in the game, with a knack for elevating his play in the postseason. He has a $52.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season. If he remains on the Heat through the Feb. 6 trade deadline, it certainly sounds like Butler would prefer to decline it and enter unrestricted free agency.

Although a lot can change between now and the end of the 2025 postseason.

For more Miami Heat and NBA news, visit Newsweek Sports.