Heat's Jimmy Butler Informs At Least Two NBA Contenders to Not Trade for Him

Jimmy Butler is currently a man without a team. Butler has made it clear he wants a trade, and the Miami Heat have suspended him while they try to find somewhere to send him.

Unfortunately, the market for Butler isn't very strong right now, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst. On Tuesday's episode of First Take, Windhorst explained that since Butler isn't going to sign an extension with anyone, no one really wants to give up anything good in a trade for him. And the one place he apparently wants to go is having trouble figuring out how to get a deal done.

"Jimmy Butler isn't going to extend with any team. And so, because teams know that, they're offering the Heat right now the poo-poo platter. There's only one team that is ready to pay Jimmy Butler exactly what he wants, and that's the Phoenix Suns."

—@WindhorstESPN pic.twitter.com/q8LZLPOFOV
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 7, 2025

"Jimmy Butler isn't going to extend with any team," said Windhorst. "And so, because teams know that, they're offering the Heat right now the pu pu platter. There's only one team that is ready to pay Jimmy Butler exactly what he wants, and that's the Phoenix Suns. And you know why that's fascinating, Molly? Because of the 29 other teams that are out there that could trade for Jimmy Butler, the team that he wants to go to, which is Phoenix, is the team that has the hardest time trading for him."

Quite the conundrum! You would think Bradley Beal for Jimmy Butler would be a pretty straightforward swap, but the Heat have already passed on Beal once.

And while Windhorst says Butler won't be signing an extension anywhere, someone is still apparently reaching out on his behalf to tell certain teams not to trade for him. NBA insider Chris Haynes reported Tuesday that the Memphis Grizzlies have been told not to attempt to acquire Butler, and Kevin O'Connor added the Milwaukee Bucks to that list.

Sources: A few teams have been informed not to trade for Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler. #haynesbriefs pic.twitter.com/200eV8gjxk
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 7, 2025

Lot of rumblings that the Milwaukee Bucks have also been informed not to trade for Jimmy Butler.@ChrisBHaynes reported earlier the Memphis Grizzlies were told not to. That’s now two playoff teams Butler could be refusing.

So…does Pat Riley give Jimmy what he wants?
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) January 7, 2025

If Butler doesn't want to be traded somewhere like Memphis, a team tied for the second-best record in the Western Conference right now, what exactly is he looking for in a destination? Playing for one of the top teams in the league would seem like a good place to get your joy back, unless you're worried about not being first or second or even third in the pecking order.

But Butler's motivations don't really matter at this point. The Heat are going to have to take whatever they can get for him if they want to unload him anytime soon.