A recent report from ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed that the Miami Heat are open to hearing trade offers on star forward Jimmy Butler, whose camp has some preferred destinations in mind.
With Butler’s future emerging as a topic of discussion on Tuesday, the Miami Herald offered some insight on the matter, and according to a piece of the outlet’s reporting, the Heat aren’t concerned about the possibility of losing Butler in free agency this coming offseason.
“Nevertheless, a source with direct knowledge has said the Heat is not concerned about the possibility of losing Butler in free agency if it comes to that, partly because there’s no contender with the cap space to sign Butler outright without the Heat’s help in a sign-and-trade,” wrote Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “If Butler simply signed elsewhere next summer without the Heat’s help, Miami would have modest cap space, not nearly enough to replace him with a similar player.”
Butler has a player option for the 2025-26 season that he is expected to decline to become a free agent. That will open the door for him to test his options, but that seemingly isn’t something the Heat are too worried about.
Of course, if they were to trade him away this season, the complexion of the situation would change drastically. The Heat likely can’t expect to trade him away and then get him back once the 2024-25 season ends.
There have been hints in the past that Butler wants to remain with Miami beyond his current contract, but it doesn’t seem like anything is guaranteed right now when it comes to his future.
This season, the veteran is averaging 19.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. He has helped the Heat to a 12-10 record.
Miami is navigating a complex situation. Butler is 35. The Heat need to decide if they think they can build a championship team around the six-time All-Star before his productive years end, a tough decision to make when it’s unclear just how many strong seasons he has left.
Butler has gotten the Heat close to a championship before (on more than one occasion), but the team isn’t one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference right now. That adds another layer to the equation for Miami.
But if the Heat can string some more wins together (they’re currently on a three-game winning streak with victories over some solid teams), that may leave the organization with no choice but to keep Butler going into the offseason, when he will likely hit free agency.