Jimmy Butler announced on Thursday night that he wants the Miami Heat to trade him, but would moving Butler actually benefit the Heat?
Per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, if the Heat let Butler’s $48.8 million salary for this season expire, they would be in a much better spot financially to add to their roster this summer.
Of course, that is assuming Butler walks away from his $52.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season. A three-team trade might not be feasible right now, considering a number of teams lack cap space.
By riding it out, Miami would be $47 million below the tax and have access to the $14 million non-tax midlevel, $5.1 million biannual exception, and over $50 million in expiring contracts.
More importantly, the Heat would then have the ability to take back more salary in a potential trade. With Butler on the roster, they are $5.5 million over the tax and right at the first apron threshold.
If the Heat let the Jimmy Butler $48.8M salary this season expire (that is assuming he walks away from $52.4M), they would be well positioned to add to their roster this summer.
Miami would be $47M below the tax and have access to:
– $14M non-tax midlevel
– $5.1M biannual…— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) January 3, 2025
However, the drawback to Miami doing nothing is if Butler decides to opt in for 2025-26. That would tear apart the roster and make the Heat’s current predicament even worse for the foreseeable future.
The Heat would have to trust Butler to leave on his own, which is a risky plan. Although NBA insiders reported in December that Butler intends to decline his 2025-26 player option and become a free agent in July, this could all change in the second half of Miami’s season, especially if a playoff run takes place.
Miami Heat Reportedly Have No Plans To Move Jimmy Butler
After ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news on Christmas that Butler “prefers to be traded by Miami,” Heat president Pat Riley responded to the trade rumors, breaking from team policy to address speculation and clarify that the team has no plans to move Butler.
“We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches,” Riley said in a news release. “Therefore, we will make it clear — we are not trading Jimmy Butler.”
Butler has been disappointed with the Heat primarily because Miami declined to give him a two-year, $113 million contract extension this past summer, a deal that would have run through the 2026-27 season.
According to the Miami Herald, Butler was open to signing such a deal early in the negotiating window, but his mindset changed when the extension wasn’t immediately offered by the Heat.
In the end, this is a lose-lose situation for Miami, and it’s ultimately a self-inflicted wound.
As Marks notes, the Heat will not pull the trigger on a Butler trade if it neither provides financial flexibility in 2025 and the future nor keeps the roster competitive.
