Should Jimmy Butler want to stay with the Heat?

Jimmy Butler is one of the hottest names around the NBA as we approach the trade deadline on Feb. 6. A lot can happen until then, but of late Butler’s name has been involved in plenty of trade rumors. However, if you believe Pat Riley, Butler isn’t going anywhere.

"We usually don't comment on rumors,” Riley said. But all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches. Therefore, we will make it clear — we are not trading Jimmy Butler."

Riley has not been happy with the “distraction” these rumors have caused surrounding Butler. That’s understandable but the fact that Riley felt the need to comment on it publicly should mean something. It makes it seem like where there’s smoke, fire isn’t far behind.

Butler has had quite the storied run in South Beach since arriving in 2019. He’s led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances, two Eastern Conference titles and three ECF appearances overall. Now in his sixth year with Miami, it seems like this relationship may have finally run its course.

It feels like Butler has taken this franchise about as far as possible with what Riley has built around him. Making it to two NBA Finals is more than anyone ever expected from this group. But if Butler is looking to actually close the deal and win it all he’ll likely need to look elsewhere.

They’ve squeezed far more juice out of this orange, that is the Heat, than ever thought possible, and it feels like Butler knows this based on some recent comments. He won’t come right out and say it but it seems the writing is on the wall and Butler probably won’t be wearing a Heat jersey for much longer.

"It's a good question. Who knows? I don't," Butler said. "But right now, I'm here. So, I'm going to make the most of it. I am going to compete, and I am going to win. And that's all that I've got. It's a lot of talk. And it is a lot of noise, which I'm cool with. It doesn't bother me at all. I love that. I thrive in that. But it keeps all y'all wondering. It does. It keeps the world wondering, to where you've got to keep coming back and asking me about something. I like it. It's good to be talked about. Even better to be wanted, though. Remember that."

Reading those comments, it doesn’t necessarily sound like Butler is hellbent on staying in Miami. It also doesn’t feel like the Heat are any closer to winning a championship than they have been in the past. Although this team can be deceiving as they’ve seemingly come out of nowhere each time, they’ve made the Finals during Butler’s stint. We always kind of just have to wait and see what they do.

If Butler does want to finally win the big one, he’s probably going to need to pursue that goal somewhere else. He’s not getting any younger at 35, and with his injury history, who knows how much longer his body will hold up. 

Butler has a player option for next season that will pay him $52.4M. It may be tough to convince another team to take that on so that puts Butler in between a rock and a hard place where his contract is concerned. But if a contender is willing, he’s got to go for it.