NBA rumors: Heat's 'mission' to trade Jimmy Butler features new strategy
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While the trade odyssey between the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler continues, it will undoubtedly intensify with the Feb. 6 trade deadline looming ahead. The Heat are betting favorites to land Sacramento Kings star De’Aaron Fox, though they are not his preferred destination. Therefore, the team has a new strategy to focus on in terms of moving Butler by the aforementioned deadline.
According to Marc Stein, Miami now has a “mission” to find a deal for Butler after he was suspended for the third time in January. Even though the organization has certain wants in a possible trade, the “asking price” is reportedly “dropping” after another suspension, this time not just for “conduct detrimental to the team,” but for walking out of Monday morning’s shootaround after being told he wouldn’t start.
“The Miami Heat, league sources say, have made it their mission now to find a palatable Jimmy Butler deal before the Feb. 6 trade deadline at 3 PM ET,” Stein wrote. “So much for the notion that the Heat might find it wiser to wait until the offseason to gain optionality in the quest for a more digestible swap. The messiest and most draining saga of the rings-laden Pat Riley Era suddenly has the Heat downright eager to ship Butler out.”
“The Heat’s asking price on Butler is said to be dropping after team officials felt the need to suspend Butler for the third time in the span of less than a month due to what Miami has again deemed conduct detrimental to the team,” Stein continued.
What the Heat are looking for in a Jimmy Butler trade
The rumors have started to pile up for the team like how the Heat are interested in Julius Randle if the Minnesota Timberwolves would be involved in a possible trade for Butler. Despite the franchise reportedly lowering the asking price for Butler, they still don’t want to receive nothing as they are still looking for worthwhile draft capital and contracts that “do not stray past the 2025-26 season.”
“There was a distinct sense circulating Tuesday that the Heat are increasingly prioritizing players whose contracts do not stray past the 2025-26 season as the most crucial element of their return in a Butler trade package,” Stein wrote. “The hope for Miami would naturally be to generate draft compensation along with those players on shorter-term deals.”
How much money is Jimmy Butler losing in latest Heat suspension
Looking at Butler’s third suspension with the Heat, the star will be losing more money as the language in the statement cites “withholding services,” which will cost the 35-year-old $532,737 per game according to Bobby Marks of ESPN. As the indefinite suspension has a minimum of five games, he will lose at least $2,663,685 per Marks, though it’s expected that the player’s association will file a grievance to get some of that money back.
It will be vital for the team to have some success without Butler as if they don’t make the playoffs, it could mean losing valuable picks.
“As Jake Fischer spelled out in depth Saturday, Miami very much needs to make the playoffs this season so as not to surrender first-round picks without compensation in both 2026 (to Oklahoma City) and 2028 (to Charlotte),” Stein wrote. “Yet the Heat, as much as anything, also want to preserve maximum salary-cap flexibility for the summer of 2026.”
The Heat are 23-22 which puts them sixth in the Eastern Conference as they face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
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