The Miami Heat have a Jimmy Butler situation on their hands. A fate the Minnesota Timberwolves are all too familiar with. Butler is one of the best playoff performers of the last decade, an incredible competitor, and a perennial All-Star (when healthy). But when he’s unhappy, drama tends to ensue.
Shams Charania of ESPN recently reported that Butler wants to be moved by the Heat by the NBA trade deadline. This comes after Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, publicly spoke out against Charania’s previous reporting about the situation. And on top of that, Heat GM Pat Riley put out a statement after Charania’s second report, declaring, “We are not trading Jimmy Butler.”
This has the potential to get messy very fast, and the Timberwolves have a ton of experience with what that outcome could look like.
Jimmy Butler trade rumors with Heat could quickly mirror Timberwolves situation
When Butler wanted out of Minnesota, it was a huge deal. From his clear dissatisfaction to the well-documented practice where he played the starters with third-string players, Butler made a huge deal out of the situation.
Obviously, Butler has a much longer history in Miami than he ever did in Minnesota, but still. If Butler is upset with his situation on the Heat and they refuse to trade him, a charade similar to the one in Minnesota cannot be taken off the table.
Let’s say Charania’s report about Butler is true. That he wants to leave Miami by the deadline.
If that’s the reality and Riley is being stubborn, the situation will inevitably get ugly. Butler’s not one to back down from a fight when it comes to getting what he wants. The Timberwolves learned that, and the Heat could be next
Miami would face the tough decision of whether it’s worth it to keep him around whilst he’s unhappy, especially considering what that would mean for his on and off-court impact.
Considering how much Butler means to the organization, and presumably vice versa, it would be weird to see the two sides have a terrible falling out. But based on the reporting currently available to the public, that’s what the situation is rapidly soaring toward.
Should Butler try to demand a trade and get denied by the Heat, a repeat of the Timberwolves situation could come about very quickly.
And based on Riley’s firmness, it would be a very, very ugly occurrence. (But a very entertaining one for the national media.)
The question is, will it come to that?