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Jimmy Butler Requests Trade: Open To Playing ‘Anywhere Other Than Miami’
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated03 Jan 2025
On Thursday night, the Heat were at home to face the Pacers. Miami was 17-14 heading into the game and were coming off a 119-108 win vs. New Orleans. In the second game of a back-to-back, the Heat fell flat vs. Indiana and lost 128-115. The Heat are 17-15 this season and have lost two of their three meeting with the Pacers.
In the last month, we’ve heard reports around the league from trusted sources on the status of one Heat all-star. ESPN’s Shams Charania noted weeks ago that Butler wanted out of Miami. However, Butler’s agent said Charania’s reports were invalid. Yesterday, Butler spoke to the media and formally requested a trade from the Heat. After six seasons, Butler’s time in Miami could come to an end in 2025.
Will Jimmy Butler be traded by Miami before the deadline?
ESPN story with @WindhorstESPN: Jimmy Butler has indicated to the Miami Heat that he wants the team to trade him and is open to playing anywhere other than Miami.https://t.co/6BovsL2qdi
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 3, 2025
For the last six seasons, Jimmy Butler has been a member of the Miami Heat. In that time, the Heat have never finished with less than 40 wins in a season. Additionally, they’ve made the playoffs each year Butler has been with the team. That includes two trips to the NBA Finals where Miami lost both series. Despite the success Butler has helped bring to Miami, his relationship with ownership has started to dwindle in the 2024-25 season. The 35-year-old wants to be traded and team president Pat Riley has said the Heat do not plan to trade Butler.
After the team’s loss to the Pacers on Thursday night, Butler spoke to the media. The veteran forward said he’s lost his joy playing basketball with the Heat. Reporters asked him if he could find that joy again with Miami and Butler said “Probably not.” On Christmas Day, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Butler’s preferred trade destinations are the Suns, Warriors, Rockets, and Mavericks. Butler has a $52 million player option that he could opt out of for next season. That plays into his favor to potentially be traded before the deadline by the Heat.
