Butler has been everything the Heat wanted him to be since acquiring him in 2019. The six-time All-Star led Miami to the NBA Finals in two different seasons — 2020 and 2023 — and he has been the unsung leader of the franchise over the last several years. However, emotions and feelings always change when money gets involved in a relationship, and that is what created a fine line between Pat Riley and his star player.
After being suspended for a third time this season by the Heat, this time for walking out of the team’s shootaround after being told he was moving to the bench coming off his second team suspension, Butler’s time in Miami appears to be over. The Heat subtly made that clear with their official statement claiming that Butler would be suspended for “an indefinite period to last no fewer than five games.”
At this point, the Heat won’t receive full value for the 35-year-old star. Given his contract and situation with the organization, no other team around the league will be willing to pay top dollar for Butler, especially since he owns a $52.4 million player option for next season.
There isn’t a real scenario that has presented itself to the Heat that is a for-sure winning situation, which is why Riley and this front office will need to get creative over the next nine days when attempting to trade Butler.
Any team that pursues Butler at this juncture could do so knowing that they can get him at a discount, which is why one of these five trade scenarios could be a realistic path for the Heat to finally split ties with Butler.
Suns, Jimmy Butler pairing finally happens in 5-team deal
Phoenix Suns receive: F Jimmy Butler, G Alec Burks
Miami Heat receive: F Rui Hachimura, G Lonzo Ball, G/F Josh Okogie
Chicago Bulls receive: G Bradley Beal, CLE/MIN 2025 1st-round pick (least favorable, via PHX), UTA/CLE/MIN 2027 1st-round pick (least favorable, via PHX), UTA/CLE/MIN 2029 1st-round pick (least favorable, via PHX)
Los Angeles Lakers receive: C Nikola Vucevic, F/C Kevin Love
Charlotte Hornets receive: G Jalen Hood-Schifino, G Josh Richardson, F/C Christian Wood, LAC 2025 2nd round pick (via LAL), LAL 2025 2nd-round pick
The top suitor for Jimmy Butler is the Phoenix Suns. Mat Ishbia has not been afraid to make big moves to put his team in the best position possible to contend for a title, and that is why he sacrificed so much to get Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Unfortunately, Beal has not been a good fit next to Devin Booker and Durant, which is why the Suns have been wanting to bring in Butler instead.
However, Beal owns a full no-trade clause. If the three-time All-Star is to be traded, it will be on his terms and to a team of his choice. Ultimately, it’s hard to envision a scenario where Beal would waive his no-trade clause in the middle of the season, especially considering that he just moved his family to Phoenix.
Nonetheless, let’s say Beal is willing to be traded. Could the Chicago Bulls help facilitate this Butler-to-Phoenix scenario, especially since Beal would be reunited with Billy Donovan, his former college coach at Florida? While this is a major long shot, it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibilities.
In fact, this may be the only way the Suns could land Butler before the trade deadline.
The Bulls have options at the deadline this year due to Lonzo Ball, Nikola Vucevic, Zach LaVine, and others drawing trade interest. Although they are not operating as complete sellers, it would be in the best interest of this organization to take a step back, re-evaluate their future, and stockpile draft assets in the meantime so they can plot a path forward. That is why bringing in Beal and taking on his contract may not be the worst scenario.
By accepting Beal and the $110 million remaining on his contract through the 2026-27 season, Chicago would be compensated with the three future first-round picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029 that the Suns recently traded for from the Utah Jazz. However, these picks are all expected to be near the end of the first round, so would the Bulls really be getting true value here? That is the big question that this franchise would need to ponder.
In a perfect world for the Suns, the Bulls would be at peace with this offer, which would lead to the second part of this trade involving the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets.
Butler and Alec Burks would make their way to Phoenix, while Beal and first-round picks go to Chicago. Now it’s not only time to figure out the Bulls’ cap situation and players they would need to move to bring in Beal’s massive contract, but we need to figure out what the Heat would be getting for Butler.
Ball and Vucevic are two players making a combined $41.3 million this season that Chicago can easily move if added Beal’s salary. Whereas Vucevic has been drawing strong interest from the Lakers, Ball is a versatile guard who, when healthy, can help several playoff contenders out there.
When looking at the Lakers, adding depth in the frontcourt is essential. Anthony Davis needs extra rebounders and size, which Vucevic and Kevin Love would help supply. Love is also a good friend of LeBron’s, dating back to their days with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As for Ball and his landing spot, the Heat should be fine trading for him in this scenario since he is on an expiring contract. Given his length and defensive versatility, Ball would be an ideal player for head coach Erik Spoelstra to experiment with. Rui Hachimura and Josh Okogie are two other athletic forwards with short-term contracts that wouldn’t put the Heat in a bad financial situation. Ball, Hachimura, and Okogie are three win-now pieces that the Heat would receive at the expense of Butler, Burks, Love, and Josh Richardson.
The final puzzle piece is getting the Charlotte Hornets to move Okogie for Richardson, Christian Wood, and Jalen Hood-Schifino. These three players with expiring contracts would essentially be buyout candidates for the Hornets, who would receive two 2025 second-round picks from Los Angeles for their aid in facilitating this trade.
The Suns and Lakers get the pieces they’ve been wanting ahead of the trade deadline, and the Heat can cut their overall costs and free up immediate cap space over the next two seasons. One caveat to this trade is that the Bulls would need to make another deal ahead of the deadline after acquiring Beal, as this five-team trade puts them over the tax line. Chicago could easily move Jevon Carter or Chris Duarte in a subsequent trade.
Bucks land Jimmy Butler
Milwaukee Bucks receive: F Jimmy Butler, G Alec Burks
Miami Heat receive: F Khris Middleton, F/C Bobby Portis, MIL 2031 1st-round pick (Top-5 protected)
Detroit Pistons receive: G Pat Connaughton, G MarJon Beauchamp, MIL 2031 2nd-round pick
Along with the Suns, the other team that has been brought up several times as a possible suitor for Butler has been the Milwaukee Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard have proven they are good enough to win a championship. These two led the Bucks to win the NBA Cup in December, but the rest of this roster has become a concern. This is especially true when looking at Khris Middleton and his production as of late.
While he was once an All-Star and one of the best wing players in the league, recent injury concerns have really dampened Middleton’s overall production. That is why the Bucks are showing a lot more willingness to part ways with the long-time veteran ahead of the trade deadline to improve their championship outlook.
The only problem is that finding a new home for Middleton with his value depreciating like crazy will be extremely difficult.
For the Bucks to even consider a trade for Butler, they will first need to move out of the second apron by trading Pat Connaughton to a team willing to take on his contract. Both the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets have been rumored to be open to this possibility if Milwaukee is to look to trade Connaughton before the trade deadline.
By moving out of the second apron, the Bucks can then aggregate salaries in trades as a first-apron team, meaning that they can now match salaries to acquire Butler. However, this comes at a cost, as Middleton, Connaughton, Bobby Portis, and MarJon Beauchamp would need to be moved. Not to mention, the Bucks would need to send their only 2031 second-round pick to Detroit to help facilitate this trade, as well as their 2031 first-round pick to Miami as extra value.
This is just the framework of what it would take for the Bucks to have a real shot at landing Butler before the trade deadline, as it’s hard to believe this is what the Heat would settle for. Middleton brings no value to them and has not been playing well lately. It is possible that the former All-Star wing could be flipped to a fourth team in this trade, possibly the Hornets.
If the Hornets were to be involved, the Heat could instead reroute Middleton to Detroit, getting Tim Hardaway Jr. from the Pistons and Josh Okogie from Charlotte. Miami could also end up with Delon Wright from Milwaukee, who would be getting Wendell Carter Jr. and Taj Gibson to fill out their roster around Butler. This scenario would see Burks going to Detroit instead of Milwaukee, plus the Pistons adding Middleton and Richardson from the Heat, along with two second-round picks from Miami.
Charlotte would take on the salaries of Connaughton and Beauchamp and be rewarded with the Bucks’ 2031 second-round pick. Again, this is just a possible extension of the Butler-Milwaukee trade seen above.
Butler possibly being traded to the Bucks is a lot more complicated than one would imagine, as several teams would need to be involved to help facilitate salaries and get the Heat the right value they are seeking.
Could Pistons pull off a sneaky move?
Detroit Pistons receive: F Jimmy Butler, G Alec Burks
Miami Heat receive: F Tobias Harris, G Tim Hardaway Jr., F Simone Fontecchio, TOR 2025 2nd-round pick (via DET), NYK 2028 2nd-round pick (via DET), MIA 2028 2nd-round pick (via DET)
The Heat want value in any trade they make for Butler at this point. Riley doesn’t care where Butler ends up as long as his team remains in a good spot to compete this season. Not to mention, Miami would like to bring back players who won’t tie them down financially for years to come.
Who is to say that Trajan Langdon and the Pistons won’t turn heads and be huge buyers at the trade deadline? Sure, this is an unlikely scenario since Detroit is in a great financial position, but at some point, this organization will pull the trigger and get Cade Cunningham some more help. Making a very low-cost move on Butler, who they could instantly flip into $50 million in cap space, wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.
The big question is whether the Heat would consider a package from only the Pistons without getting other teams involved. However, from the Pistons’ perspective, there is a lot to like about this deal.