Heat's Jimmy Butler reiterated trade request in meeting with Pat Riley

According to Charania, Butler told Riley during that meeting that he had no intention of signing a new contract with the Heat during the 2025 offseason and that he would only pick up his $52.4M player option for 2025-26 to facilitate a trade.

Butler reiterating his desire to be traded and making it clear he doesn’t plan to sign a new deal with the Heat doesn’t materially change the circumstances of his standoff with the team — we already knew that the 35-year-old wanted out and that his days with the team are likely numbered.

Still, it’s perhaps a signal that the Heat’s plan to reintegrate Butler upon the conclusion of his team-imposed seven-game suspension later this week won’t go as smoothly as the club hopes. Butler has already missed six games while serving his suspension for conduct detrimental to the team, so Wednesday’s contest against the Lakers will be the seventh and final game of that ban.

Heat officials intend to meet later this week to discuss the best route with Butler, league sources tell Charania.

Several recent reports have indicated that Miami has talked to multiple teams about potential Butler trades, but has yet to gain any real momentum in any of those discussions and is in no rush to take a deal that isn’t in the club’s best interests. 

The Heat are said to be seeking players who can help them win this season, as well as short-term contracts that will allow the front office to generate cap flexibility going forward.

Multiple NBA insiders have speculated that the Heat may not find a deal they like by the Feb. 6 trade deadline, delaying resolution on the Butler situation until the offseason. At that time, more teams would have the flexibility to acquire him via sign-and-trade or opt-in-and-trade.

Even letting Butler walk for nothing could be a more favorable option for Miami than taking back unwanted multiyear contracts in a trade — the Clippers took that approach with Paul George this past offseason, and it’s working out well for the organization so far.

Butler’s dissatisfaction in Miami stems in large part from the Heat’s unwillingness to give him the maximum salary extension offer he wanted during the offseason. Reporting on Christmas Day indicated that he preferred a trade; a little over a week later, word broke that he had informed the Heat of his desire to be moved.

According to Charania, one issue that factored into Butler’s Jan. 2 trade request was an implication from team officials that the six-time All-Star didn’t play his hardest in a Jan. 1 win over New Orleans.

Butler scored nine points in 25 minutes in that game and followed up that performance with nine points in 27 minutes the next night against Indiana. He took just 11 total shots across those two outings and appeared passive and disengaged, frequently standing in the corner on offense. His usage rate in those two games was 12.6 percent — it had been 21.6 percent before Jan. 1.