Miami Heat

Miami Heat president Pat Riley isn't worried about facing criticism, although he acknowledged that he's been part of the NBA for a long time.

When asked about getting called "washed up" during a Thursday appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show, the 79-year-old responded.

"I don't worry about what critics say because, you know—maybe I am—maybe I should you know go somewhere and just sort of put my feet up," Riley said (2:07:25 mark). "But I would then become very compulsive obsessive about doing something else, and you don't want me in that state of mind."

The Heat sit at No. 7 in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 18-17 this season.

Riley started his NBA journey on the court, suiting up for three teams during his nine year career from 1968-76. He then transitioned to coaching starting with the 1981-82 season, serving as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks before joining the Heat in 1995.

He was Miami's head coach as well as the team's president before taking on a full-time front office role in 2008.

Riley's overall tenure with the organization has undoubtedly been successful, winning three of his nine total championships with the Heat.

The team has struggled following a trip to the NBA Finals in 2023, though. The Heat were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in the 2023-24 season, failing to add a third star next to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

Miami has struggled with inconsistency throughout its 2024-25 campaign, while ESPN's Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst reported on Jan. 2 that Butler indicated to the team that he wanted to be traded.

A rift between Butler and Riley was also revealed.

"The Butler-Heat relationship has been tense since last spring when Riley announced the team would not extend Butler's contract before the 2024-25 season," Charania and Windhorst wrote.

Miami hasn't been able to meet expectations to open the year and is currently dealing with a star trade request, but Riley isn't focused on letting criticism affect him.

While Jimmy Butler is dominating the NBA rumor mill, there may not be a trade in the immediate future.

Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Thursday that the Miami Heat are "prepared" to remain patient with the situation to "maximize" the return on any potential trade.

"In the wake of Butler's trade request and subsequent suspension, team officials told Heat players that the prospect of the 35-year-old, six-time All-Star returning to the court with them after the suspension was the most likely next step," Amick added.

Miami is reportedly practicing patience, but there is also a genuine question of leverage and what types of offers it is even going to receive.

The team suspended him for seven games and said it is open to trade discussions, so opposing clubs know Miami wants to move on from the five-time All-NBA selection.

Moving Butler this season would ensure the Heat get something back in return for him. He has a $52.4 million player option for 2025-26 that he could decline to become an unrestricted free agent, so he could hypothetically leave them empty-handed this offseason.

With that as the backdrop, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported during Tuesday's episode of First Take that the Heat have gotten offers that "stink" so far.

"We're at a genuine stalemate. I don't know how it's going to play out," Windhorst said. "The Heat are preparing internally for this to last past the suspension, not because they've got some sort of sinister motive, but because they know what offers they've gotten and they stink. So that's where we're at now."

Windhorst also explained the impasse can largely be traced back to the team not signing Butler to a contract extension during the past offseason.

Leverage also served as the backdrop when Sam Vecenie of The Athletic reported Sunday that "league sources speculating on Butler's landing spot across the NBA struggled to come up with deals they think makes sense for everyone involved."

With no natural landing spot in trade discussions, the situation might be destined to drag on throughout the season.

Amick noted "one prominent Heat player wondered aloud if this sensitive situation might continue past the Feb. 6 trade deadline—into the summer and perhaps even beyond."

If Miami is being patient and looking for a worthwhile return, then the situation is unlikely to get resolved anytime soon as potential suitors make lowball offers looking to take advantage of the awkwardness that may stem from the suspension.

As Jimmy Butler awaits a trade from the Miami Heat, he believes he still has plenty to give to a team willing to strike a deal for him.

In fact, the 35-year-old believes he's still in his prime.

"I still think I'm in my prime if I'm being brutally honest," Butler said, per The Washington Post's Ben Golliver. "Now, as this coffee life takes off, I'm going to be in here daily making coffee, enjoying the vibes and letting everybody see and know that it's not a gimmick. This is my passion, and it's going to be my passion even when I'm done playing."

Butler's stats this season aren't exactly a reflection of a player still in his prime. He's putting up his worst numbers in more than a decade, averaging 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 22 games as Miami has gone 17-17.

Butler won't get the chance to boost his trade value in the coming weeks as he's currently serving a seven-game suspension for "multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team."

In his last two appearances, Butler struggled tremendously. He had nine points against the New Orleans Pelicans before scoring nine points against the Indiana Pacers last week. Those outings were his first two games back since Dec. 20.

Whether Butler, who has led Miami to two NBA Finals appearances since 2020, is still in his prime is up for debate, but there's no question he could be of service to a playoff team looking to reach Finals contender status.

A handful of teams have emerged as possible trade destinations for Butler, including the Golden State Warriors, per The Athletic's Anthony Slater, Marcus Thompson II and Sam Amick.

There are a handful of teams, however, that won't be in the mix for Butler. NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on Tuesday that the Memphis Grizzlies among other teams have been informed that Butler "has no interest in being traded there."

According to Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor, there have been "a lot of rumblings" that the Milwaukee Bucks are also on Butler's no-trade list.

Until the Heat find a deal for Butler—if they even decide to trade him—he'll look to come back strong from his suspension to prove that he's still in his prime.

The Miami Heat will reportedly trade Jimmy Butler this week, per The Ringer's Bill Simmons, who made mention of that potential move during the latest "Guess The Lines" edition (1:12:20 mark).

"The Butler trade is going to happen this week," Simmons said (h/t Hayden Cilley of ClutchPoints). "I was telling you about Houston and then Houston beat the Lakers tonight. It was a good game, it was tight. I said their January is about to get hard because I think there is a chance that San Antonio can make the playoffs.

"And House and I talked about it on Thursday, and now they're +350 (odds to trade Butler to the Spurs). It's right around where we talked about. They don't have the odds for Houston, but San Antonio would have to jump the Lakers or Houston basically. The thinking is Wemby is now a Top 7 guy and maybe they make a trade. So we were looking at that for future odds."

The Heat recently announced that Butler would be suspended seven games for conduct detrimental to the team and added that they would look to grant his trade request.

One can surmise that the struggling Phoenix Suns, who most recently made drastic starting lineup changes amid another trying season, should be in the mix. This report from Brian Windhorst of ESPN indicates as much, even if the Heat are getting "poo-poo platter" offers.

On Dec. 25, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Butler was open to new destinations such as the Suns, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets.

Some teams have reportedly been informed to steer clear of Butler, namely the Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks.

Ultimately, it's clear that Butler may have played his last game in Miami. The Heat need to move on from the six-time All-Star, and Butler has made it clear that he wants a restart. So the daily Butler watch continues in the meantime as the exit looms.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler might be more selective than he led people to believe as he attempts to engineer an exit from South Florida.

NBA insider Chris Haynes reported Tuesday that the Memphis Grizzlies, along with a few other teams, have been informed that Butler "has no interest in being traded there."

Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor added there are a "lot of rumblings that the Milwaukee Bucks have also been informed not to trade for" Butler.

Once things came to a head between Butler and the Heat, one message from the player's camp was that he'd seemingly be content to play anywhere else.

"Butler does not plan to furnish the Heat with a list of favored destinations, sources told ESPN," Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst reported. "He is open to playing anywhere other than Miami and believes he can make any team a contender—no matter where he is moved."

Whether such a list exists or was provided to Miami, Haynes' report makes it clear the six-time All-Star does in fact have a preferred landing spot or two in mind.

This isn't uncommon for disgruntled star players. The trouble for Butler is that he doesn't have the leverage or the trade market to execute this kind of power play.

The Phoenix Suns are presumably at or near the top of the 35-year-old's wish list, but any trade will hinge on fellow star Bradley Beal. The Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang reported Beal's no-trade clause continues to be a dealbreaker for the Heat, and it complicates the inclusion of a third team into the deal.

The Athletic's Anthony Slater, Marcus Thompson II and Sam Amick reported the Golden State Warriors, another contender with a clear need to upgrade their roster, "would rather keep" Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins over a Butler trade.

The Houston Rockets are also reportedly keen on preserving their current roster for the most part before contemplating a big swing down the road.

Going scorched earth on the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2018 didn't preclude Butler from getting his desired trade to the Philadelphia 76ers. Then he landed on his feet in Miami in a sign-and-trade when he no longer wanted to stay in Philly.

But now he's at a stage in his career where his game is clearly declining, and everyone can see that his choices will be limited if he opts out and becomes a free agent in the summer. Per Spotrac, the Brooklyn Nets are the only team that can create enough salary cap space to offer a max salary.

If forcing a trade from the Heat is the only thing that matters, then Butler will have to accept the fact any deal won't be entirely on his terms.

With the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline less than a month away, the Miami Heat reportedly aren't getting any closer to trading disgruntled star forward Jimmy Butler.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported during Tuesday's episode of First Take that the Heat aren't receiving quality trade offers because teams know Butler is unlikely to sign a contract extension this year.

"We're at a genuine stalemate. I don't know how it's going to play out," Windhorst said. "The Heat are preparing internally for this to last past the suspension, not because they've got some sort of sinister motive, but because they know what offers they've gotten and they stink. So that's where we're at now."

The Heat suspended Butler on Friday for seven games for "multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team." The team said it will be open to trading the 35-year-old, who was once the face of the franchise after signing with Miami in 2019.

"Through his actions and statements, he has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team," the Heat said in a statement Friday night. "Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they wish to be traded, therefore, we will listen to offers."

Windhorst explained that the impasse between Butler and Miami stems from the team's decision not to sign him to a contract extension this past offseason. He's making $48.7 million this year in the final guaranteed season on his current deal, and he has a $52.4 million player option for 2025-26 that he's likely to decline so he could test free agency.

"You can debate about whether or not the Heat should've extended their contract after he had a year last year where he missed a lot of games including their playoff series, but he wanted it done," Windhorst said. "And once the Heat made that decision, we were, in one way or another, probably onto this path."

Unfortunately, it appears that other teams aren't in a rush to give up too much to Miami in hopes of acquiring Butler.

The Heat will continue to get used to being without him when they take on the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.

Following Jimmy Butler's team-issued seven-game suspension, the Miami Heat are expecting him to return to the team and play in games if he is not traded, according to the Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang.

Miami is continuing to listen to trade offers involving Butler, with the Phoenix Suns among the teams showing interest. However, the Heat are not interested in taking on Bradley Beal's no-trade clause, which would likely need to be part of any deal.

Multiple sources reported that Butler had been disappointed when Miami declined to offer him a two-year, $113 million contract extension this past summer, which would have kept him with the team through the 2026-27 season, per Chiang.

The Heat announced Butler's suspension on social media last Friday, citing "conduct detrimental to the team" as the reason.

"Through his actions and statements, he has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team. Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they wish to be traded, therefore, we will listen to offers," the Heat wrote.

The suspension came after Butler said in a postgame interview that he would "probably not" be able to regain his joy of basketball if he remained on the Heat's roster.

"I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball," Butler said after the Heat's home loss to the Indiana Pacers. "And wherever that may be, we'll find out here pretty soon, I want to get my joy back. I'm happy here — off the court. But I want to be back to someone dominant. I want to hoop and I want to help this team win. Right now, I'm not doing that."

The suspension will cost Butler about $2.4 million in salary, per Chiang.

The Miami Heat are open to trading Jimmy Butler.

Butler seems to want to play somewhere besides Miami.

But trading him might not be so simple.

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic reported Sunday that "league sources speculating on Butler's landing spot across the NBA struggled to come up with deals they think makes sense for everyone involved."

The 35-year-old Butler surely doesn't want to go to a rebuilding team, and a rebuilding team likely won't want to take him on for future assets. But contending teams would also drastically alter their on-court makeup by adding him to a rotation.

He would also be either a short-term addition or an expensive one since he has a $52.4 million player option for the 2025-26 campaign and could either exercise it and be something of a financial strain or decline it and leave in free agency.

Then there is the problem with leverage, which Miami doesn't exactly have.

After all, it suspended him for seven games and said it is open to trade offers after Butler himself said he doesn't believe he will rediscover his "joy" on the court while playing for the Heat:

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on the concept of leverage during an appearance on SportsCenter and said the Heat "don't like their hand right now at all" and have gotten multiple calls from teams looking to play hardball in negotiations.

"Right now, I think you're seeing a lot of teams testing just how low they might be able to buy Jimmy Butler for," Windhorst said.

Miami surely doesn't want to just give away a six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection who has a history of taking over playoff games at his best. But it is a tricky situation for all involved at this point and doesn't lend itself to easy solutions.

The Miami Heat "don't like their hand right now at all" when it comes to a trade involving star Jimmy Butler, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

Windhorst reported on SportsCenter that the Heat have "definitely gotten a lot of calls" on Butler, but rival teams are playing serious hardball.

"Right now, I think you're seeing a lot of teams testing just how low they might be able to buy Jimmy Butler for," the NBA insider said. "The one exception to that would be the Phoenix Suns and sort of the irony of this situation is the best fit and most aggressive team for Jimmy Butler is maybe the one out of the 29 teams that has the hardest time getting him, that's the Phoenix Suns.

"The only functional way they have to get him is Bradley Beal, who has a no-trade clause and the Heat two years ago when he wanted to go there, rejected. So, that would take a third or potentially fourth team, and those deals are very hard to put together. It's going to be a lot of talking and a lot of complicated maneuvering."

The dilemma for the Heat is that their leverage may not improve much between now and the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline when everyone knows Butler wants out.

Following Thursday's 128-115 loss to the Indiana Pacers, he said he has lost his "joy" on the court and probably won't rediscover it in Miami.

Windhorst and ESPN colleague Shams Charania quickly followed up to report he's "open to playing anywhere other than Miami and believes he can make any team a contender."

The Heat, for their part, have moved past diplomacy with their disgruntled six-time All-Star by suspending him for seven games.

Windhorst reported Miami "really didn't like any of the offers" it was getting on Butler before, and that's when team president Pat Riley and general manager Andy Elisburg were negotiating from a position with at least some strength. Butler hadn't made things this awkward, and Riley was maintaining publicly the franchise didn't plan on moving the veteran.

At this point, opposing GMs will see any posturing by the Heat as just that. Surely they can't keep Butler past the trade deadline and risk the dynamic getting worse from here.

In a no-win situation, ripping the bandage off and trading the 35-year-old at a loss could be the least bad option the table.

Jimmy Butler is seemingly adding more fuel to the fire in his ongoing feud with the Miami Heat front office.

The six-time All-Star posted a picture on his Instagram Stories indicating he was listening to the Drake song "Emotionless" from his album Scorpion.

If you're unfamiliar with the song, it's an examination of the feelings of isolation and trying to make it through a world that no longer makes sense. It may also not be a coincidence that the album Butler's listening to is named after an arachnid that will sting its prey with a poisonous venom.

The most telling part of the image Butler posted is the timestamp at 2:06. That is the point in the song when Drake sings: "Missin' out on my years/There's times when I wish I was where I was/Back when I used to wish I was here."

This echoes Butler's sentiment during his press conference after the Heat's 128-115 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night when he said he wants to "get my joy back from playing basketball" and that will "probably not" happen in Miami.

Things escalated between the two sides on Friday when the Heat announced Butler was being suspended seven games for "multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team" throughout this season and they intend to explore trade options.

The NBPA is filing a grievance on Butler's behalf, but this entire situation seems destined to end with a split between him and the organization he has been with for six seasons.

Butler and the Heat have made the playoffs in each of their first five seasons together, including three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and two appearances in the NBA Finals.