Sports

Jimmy Butler Has Pat Riley And The Miami Heat Backed Into Corner Over Trade Destination

#NBA
by

Joe Camporeale/Imagn


It’s not very often that you seem somebody in the NBA get the upper hand on Miami Heat team president Pat Riley. After all, Riley is a nine-time NBA champion across his time as a player, coach and executive. But it appears he may have just lost the ongoing game of poker of Heat superstar Jimmy Butler.

Riley and the Heat organization have suspended Butler multiple times this season for what they deemed “actions detrimental to the team.” Since them, Butler has demanded a trade out of Miami, which you’d think wouldn’t be too difficult of an obstacle for Riley and company. After all, he’s still one of the league’s premier players with a fair large market for his services.

Miami Heat Star Jimmy Butler Is Attempting To Force His Way To The Phoenix Suns

But herein lies the catch. Butler may not have a no-trade clause, but he’s already made it abundantly clear that he won’t play just anywhere. That has narrowed the market for the 35-year-old six-time NBA all-star. As it turns out, Butler doesn’t just have a small list of team’s he’ll play for – he has a list of one team.

“The thing to understand about Butler right now is that there’s nothing that he wants to hear right now that doesn’t include getting him to the Suns,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports. “That is the only thing he’s focused on. Honestly, I don’t think you could offer him any amount of money or any role on any team hear that he’s like ‘like, I’ll get on the plane. Let’s go.’ And because he’s got an opt-out in his contract, he has some measure of control.”

Butler is in the second of a three-year, $146 million contract he signed with Miami ahead of the 2023-24 season. But as Windhorst stated, he has a player option for 2025-26. That’s allowed Butler to dictate terms to Miami, and it appears he may have just one-upped one of the league’s most savvy executives.