For weeks now, NBA fans have watched as Jimmy Butler has tried in vain to force his way out of Miami, but as of yet, he remains a member of the Heat. Butler’s latest display of defiance was walking out of practice after being informed that he would be coming off the bench going forward, a move which resulted in him being suspended for the third time this month.
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The Heat haven’t been able to find a trade to their liking. However, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported last night that with just a week until the trade deadline, Pat Riley is lowering his asking price to get a deal done.
The Miami Heat have lowered their asking price for Jimmy Butler, per @WindhorstESPN
“They are willing to do more than they were when this all started last month. The Heat are trying to get this done.”
(h/t @dru_star ) pic.twitter.com/jLc9vGe5Pw
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 28, 2025
Riley has made it clear throughout this saga that he only intends to trade Butler if it will benefit the Heat, but with the six-time All-Star becoming more and more of a distraction and time running out, that stance appears to have softened.
The Phoenix Suns have been Butler’s preferred destination, and the interest has appeared reciprocal, but at least until now, it seems that the only way for Mat Ishbia’s team to trade for Butler would be to include Bradley Beal, who has a no-trade clause and a brutal contract that the Heat would loath to take on.
Butler’s actions don’t seem to have scared teams away from wanting to acquire him, and as Windhorst said, the lower asking price could bring even more teams into play for him.
Will Butler get his wish of going to Phoenix?
Butler’s reduced asking price could also help the Suns, who have played better of late with eight wins in their last 10 games. Assuming Beal would waive his no-trade clause (something he’s said the team hasn’t approached him about yet), Phoenix could bring in a third team to make it easier to finish a deal.
The Suns recently gave themselves more trade flexibility by acquiring three first-round picks for one 2031 first, ostensibly with the end goal being to use those picks in a Butler deal. If they can find a third team willing to take on Beal’s contract (one that Beal would be amenable to joining), they might now have enough ammunition to get a deal done.
Three-team deals aren’t a new avenue for the Suns either, having previously used one to bring Beal to Arizona. Their only problem will remain Beal’s hefty contract. Teams on the lower side of the standings would rather spend that money on future talent, and contending teams would rather not go through the hassle of taking on a big sum like that.
What happens with Jimmy Butler remains to be seen, but from all the updates we’ve gotten over the past week, it looks like the Butler-Heat saga may finally be coming to an end.
