Amid a slew of rumors that suggest Jimmy Butler is on his way out of the Miami Heat, the six-time NBA All-Star made his feelings about his team known. After Heat president Pat Riley adamantly said he won’t trade Butler, it seems like the star forward himself is taking things into his own hands so he could move out.
After the Heat’s loss to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, Jimmy Butler dropped a bombshell claim.
The forward further said he is no longer happy with his role on the court and “wanted his joy back.”
“I feel like I did my job—at least what my job is now,” Jimmy Butler said about his lackluster nine-point performance.
When he was asked whether he would find his joy in Miami, the forward bluntly said, “Probably not.”
Jimmy Butler:
“I feel like I did my job, at least what my job is now.”
Not happy with role on the court
“What do I want to see happen? I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball.”
Will that happen here in Miami?
“Probably not.”
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) January 3, 2025
Jimmy Butler’s candid media interview has only further fueled speculations that he will be soon departing Miami. Trade rumors say that the Houston Rockets, the Phoenix Suns, and the Golden State Warriors are potentially interested in acquiring him.
The Heat’s front office have until Feb. 6 to decide whether or not to let go of Butler in a trade, especially since it looks like their relationship is not going smoothly recently.
NBA writer suggests a three-team Jimmy Butler trade that ‘actually makes sense’
In his article on Bleacher Report, Andy Bailey suggests a three-team trade involving Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler. The hypothetical also involves the Golden State Warriors, who are a potential suitor for Butler, and the Brooklyn Nets.
In Bailey’s proposed trade deal, the Warriors would receive Butler and Jalen Wilson in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, Buddy Hield, Jonathan Kuminga, and first-round picks for 2025 and 2027 drafts.
The Heat would receive Hield, Kuminga, Cameron Johnson, Zlaire Williams, and Golden State’s 2025 and 2027 first-round picks, but lose Butler, Pelle Larsson, and a top-10 protected 2030 first-round pick.
And finally, the Nets would receive Wiggins, Payton, Larsson, and Miami’s top-10 protected 2030 first-round pick at the cost of losing Johnson, Williams, and Wilson.
Bailey reasoned that the deal would be beneficial to all parties. Firstly, he said that the deal would give Stephen Curry another chance to gun for the NBA championship.
“Curry, who turns 37 in March, can still be the best player on a title contender. And the Warriors owe it to him to put a championship-caliber supporting cast around him,” Bailey said. “Right now, they don’t have that. And while this deal wouldn’t guarantee it, it would certainly bring them closer.”
The writer added, “Frankly, the fit is obvious. And while this deal costs the Warriors a pretty significant amount of depth, the chance to get Curry his fifth ring is worth it.”
The hypothetical trade deal also allows the Heat to reconfigure their roster around the tandem of Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, according to Bailey.
“The foundation for a younger, less volatile team is already in place. And Miami can use whatever Butler trade it finds as an opportunity to simply build on that,” Bailey remarked. “This deal certainly does.”
Bailey also said about the Nets that acquiring Wiggins, Larsson, and a first-round trade pick “isn’t a bad return.”
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
