ESPN NBA Insiders Throw Cold Water on Latest Jimmy Butler Trade Ideas

Dec 1, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) dribbles the ball against the Toronto Raptors in the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Basketball fans have spent months creating hypothetical trades involving Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler.

Heat president Pat Riley and ESPN NBA insiders Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontempts all spent Thursday throwing cold water on the idea.

Riley issued a statement Thursday afternoon declaring the Heat won’t trade Butler. The longtime Heat executive acknowledged the nonstop rumors, punctuated by ESPN’s Shams Charania’s Christmas Day report that Butler “prefers” a trade, have created the dreaded “distraction.”

Windhorst and Bontemps discussed Riley’s statement on the Dec. 26 episode of Brian Windhorst and the Hoop Collective. Bontemps dismissed the idea Miami trades Butler—who has missed the last three games with a stomach illness—ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline just to rid themselves of the ongoing saga. 

“If you’re the Heat who have always prized flexibility above everything else and … are always going to be looking for the next guy to potentially go get, taking on a ton of dead money to get a middling asset back for Butler is not good business,” Bontemps said. 

Butler hits unrestricted free agency next summer and is widely expected to decline his $52 million player option. He and Miami did not reach an extension agreement before the season. 

Windhorst went one step further in analyzing Riley's comment.

“The Miami Heat, with this statement, are basically saying, ‘We would rather have a disgruntled Jimmy Butler or have Jimmy Butler walk for nothing than have [Phoenix Suns guard] Bradley Beal with a no-trade clause on our books for $110 million over the next two years,” Windhorst said.

Charania previously suggested the Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, and Houston Rockets could be possible suitors for Butler.

“Would the Heat like to have the worst contract in the NBA for Jimmy Butler?” Bontemps asked, referring to Beal. “No, they would not.”

MORE HEAT NEWS

Miami Heat Fans Rip Pat Riley Amid Latest Jimmy Butler Trade Rumors

ESPN Analyst Demands Struggling Western Conference Contender Acquire Jimmy Butler

Jake Elman works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at jakeelman97@gmail.com or follow him on X @JakeElman97.