Adding on to the drama between the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler, there has been new reporting from Shams Charania of ESPN that speaks about a face-to-face meeting between the star and team president Pat Riley. As there have been rumored transgressions from Butler to the Heat, Charania reports that the 35-year-old would tell Riley that he wants to be traded and will not sign a new deal with the team.
Another interesting detail in the report says that Butler “intends to only use his $52 million player option in the offseason for 2025-26 as a trade maneuver, sources said.” He's in the midst of a seven-game suspension as he's eligible to return to the team on Jan. 17 when the Heat host the Denver Nuggets.
Butler had been seeking a contract extension last offseason but the team was non-committal with hesitancies on player availability. Riley would say this publicly during his end-of-season press conference last May along with telling Butler to “keep your mouth shut” as the star was boasting about Miami beating the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks if he were healthy in the playoffs.
Heat officials meeting later this week to discuss route with Butler

The Heat star would be “caught off guard” by this comment from Riley according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald which was one part of what seems to be a fractured relationship. Fast forward to the beginning of the new year wherein the second game coming back from an illness that made him miss 13 days, Butler would say that he has lost his “joy” of playing basketball and responded “probably” not when asked if it can be regained in Miami.
This would lead to the Heat suspending Butler for seven games due to “conduct detrimental to the team” as they also mentioned in exploring trade options. However, the suspension is nearing its end as the team was on a six-game road trip that has one more game left on the docket before returning home on Friday as Charania also mentions how officials will meet “later this week to discuss the best route” with the player.
“Butler's seven-game, team-issued suspension from the Heat — for what was termed “detrimental conduct” — ends Thursday, at which point the Heat will be faced with finding a path forward for Butler, with options including a return to the roster or a trade,” Charania said. “Heat officials will meet later this week to discuss the best route with Butler, who requested a trade earlier this month, league sources said.”
Heat “has not shown urgency” in trade talks for Jimmy Butler
If one aspect is clear on the trade speculation, it's that the Heat haven't found a deal they like or are executed with to move away from a star like Butler. Charania would also mention in his reporting that even the team “has not shown an urgency” in terms of talks with other teams and has been “hesitant.”
“The Heat have engaged with multiple teams on Butler trade scenarios and have received offers but have been hesitant to negotiate further, sources said,” Charania wrote. “Riley has not shown an urgency in these talks, as the trade deadline looms on Feb. 6, sources added.”
It seems as if every day the drama between the Heat and Butler amplifies to a new degree as with the other day from Jake Fischer who mentioned how some of the “transgressions” included the forward skipping shootarounds and flying away from the team.
“Now it's Pat Riley's front office that has shown it will no longer tolerate Butler's freestyling, announcing to the world on Jan. 3 that the six-time NBA All-Star has been suspended for ‘conduct detrimental to the team.'” Fischer wrote on The Stein Line. “Among Butler's transgressions, according to league sources, have been multiple instances of Butler skipping out on morning shootarounds altogether and insisting on private flights separate from Miami's team charter. Former Heat star Tim Hardaway Sr. told Sirius XM NBA Radio over the weekend that Riley sent a 10-page letter to the players' association detailing Butler's missteps.”
At any rate, Miami is currently 20-18 which puts them seventh in the Eastern Conference as they face the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.