Jimmy Butler’s hot stove may be nearing a boiling point.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday that the Miami Heat are now open to fielding trade offers for the six-time All-Star forward Butler and would be willing to make a deal if the proposal is right. Charania further adds that Butler prefers a win-now destination in a trade and that Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated Butler is open to at least three particular teams — Houston, Dallas, and Golden State.
Butler, 35, has been with the Heat since 2019, and the two sides have enjoyed a fruitful partnership that has included three conference finals appearances and two NBA Finals berths. But Butler failed to reach a contract extension with Miami over the offseason, setting himself to potentially become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
The Heat are still very much in the playoff picture this season at 12-10 (with Butler averaging 19.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists a game). But the Rockets, Mavericks, and Warriors all have better records and are currently top-five seeds in a brutal Western Conference. The former two teams also have to be of particular intrigue to Butler, who is a native of Texas.
Butler rumors have been swirling for a while, and we heard several months ago that he may be interested in joining a different Eastern Conference team next summer. But with the likelihood seemingly increasing that Butler splits with the Heat before then, it appears that his list is narrowing down to win-now teams only.
