In the midst of serving his seven-game suspension, Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler shared a cryptic post on his Instagram story, apparently expressing his feeling of being undervalued by his team.
Missing two games as part of his suspension, Butler shared Khalid and Disclosure’s song “Know Your Worth” to his Instagram story on Tuesday. The post appeared to be a cryptic shot at Miami president Pat Riley and the Heat front office for lowballing him in extension talks.
Butler did not receive the two-year $113 million contract he was eligible for over the summer, and since then, his name has been mentioned in various trade rumors. ESPN’s Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst reported on Thursday that the six-time All-Star requested a trade, but didn’t provide his team’s front office with a list of his favored trade destinations.
Following the Heat’s 128-115 loss to the Indiana Pacers last Thursday, Butler expressed his discontent in a postgame interview, saying that he has lost his joy and wants to get it back, but not with the Heat.
“What do I want to see happen? I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball, wherever that may be,” Jimmy Butler said. “We’ll find out here pretty soon, but gotta get my joy back.”
The disgruntled forward added, “I’m happy here, you know, off the court. But I want to be back to somewhat dominant. I want to hoop. I want to help this team win, but right now, I’m not enjoying it.”
Jimmy Butler with an extremely candid media session.
Said he wants his joy back on the court.
Asked if he can find that joy here, he replied “Probably not.” pic.twitter.com/AwSLbstr4W
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) January 3, 2025
The following day, the Heat suspended Jimmy Butler for seven games, citing “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team.” On a separate X post, they said they will be listening to offers from other teams for the star forward.
Miami HEAT statement on Jimmy Butler:
We have suspended Jimmy Butler for seven games for multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 4, 2025
Through his actions and statements, he has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team. Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they wish to be traded, therefore, we will listen to offers.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 4, 2025
The forward still has five more games left to sit out due to his suspension, which will reportedly cost him $2.35 million. He will be allowed to return when the Heat host the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 17.
Jimmy Butler still confident with his performance amid standoff with his team
Jimmy Butler has been known for his tendency to wear out his welcome at each team he played for in his 14-year career. That and his age—he is currently 35 years old—are inhibiting his trade value, but the Heat superstar still believes in his capacity to deliver great performances on the court.
“I still think I’m in my prime if I’m being brutally honest,” Butler said in an interview with The Washington Post last month.
“I still think I’m in my prime if I’m being brutally honest.”
– Jimmy Butler
(Via @washingtonpost ) pic.twitter.com/GvwQU5zzYp
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 7, 2025
The Heat has until the trade deadline on Feb. 6 to consent to Butler’s trade request or else they will lose him in free agency for nothing.
For more sports content:
Follow us @HardwoodHeroics for your NBA and college basketball reading fix. You can reach out to Dan Agulto through email at [email protected]. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
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.
