Jimmy Butler has done everything he can to force a trade from the Miami Heat ahead of next week’s deadline, and it sounds like the six-time All-Star is very close to getting his wish.
During an appearance on the late edition of “SportsCenter” with Scott Van Pelt, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst indicated that the Heat may attach a low asking price to Butler leading up to the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
“I am not saying this is for sure gonna happen. I am not predicting what’s gonna happen. But, I do think some teams that thought they were out of this are coming back in because it doesn’t look like the Suns and Heat are gonna be able to consummate a deal,” Windhorst said. “I think we might see a team swoop in here and get Jimmy Butler at a cheap price — a guy who can be the best player in a playoff series at a bargain price. And I think that’s the phase of this where we’re at … this could be a trade that affects the outcome of this season.”
You can hear the full comments from Windhorst at around the 1-minute mark:
windhorst jimmy butler segment on sportscenter pt 2 pic.twitter.com/xYRKkdBHte
— steven burt (@stevenburt) January 28, 2025
Butler has been suspended three times by the Heat in less than a month. The latest suspension was handed down on Monday and is indefinite. Butler reportedly walked out of a team practice after being informed that he would be coming off the bench going forward. You can read the full details here.
Butler returned from a seven-game suspension on Jan. 17. He then played in two more games after that before being hit with another two-game suspension by the Heat for a “continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team, including missing today’s team flight to Milwaukee.”
One troubling report shared more information about how disruptive the stunt was that led to Butler’s second suspension.
The situation with Butler is reminiscent of when the six-time All-Star forced a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2018. Butler ultimately got his wish in that scenario, and Windhorst seems to think that will be the case again in Miami.
