The saga between the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler continues to develop, even though no headway has seemingly been made regarding a trade.
While Butler has made it abundantly clear he doesn't want to be in Miami any longer, and the Heat have made it clear they would prefer to trade him, the two sides are still joined together for the time being. But the longer things go on, apparently, we will get more and more obscure, leaked information.
The latest development is that, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes, the Heat failed to pay Butler for a period during the summer.
“There was something else that rubbed Jimmy the wrong way toward the end of last summer,” Haynes said on ‘The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.' “Jimmy and his camp were informed of a clerical — or, excuse me — an accounting error toward the end of last summer. He didn’t get his paycheck on that period. It took the team about 10 days to fix it, but that had never happened before. You’ve got all of that going on, on top of an accounting error that delayed his paycheck. Things just started to feel a little bit off at that point.”
How much a slight delay in a paycheck over the summer matters is up for debate, but the fact that Haynes is reporting it means someone feels like it's important enough to mention at this point in time. It also signifies how toxic things have gotten if an accounting error would be something of note to tell a reporter.
After last season's first-round playoff exit courtesy of the Boston Celtics, Butler said the Heat would have the New York Knicks and Boston, the eventual NBA champion, if he had been healthy for the postseason. Not too long after that, Heat president Pat Riley said Butler should “keep [his] mouth shut in your criticism of those teams.”
Butler, according to reports, was taken back by Riley's comments, but the crux of the issue between the Heat star and the organization appears to be Butler's contract. Butler, 35, is earning $48.8 million this season and, if he picks up his player option in June, will make $52.4 million next season before becoming an unrestricted free agent soon a few months before he turns 37.
As he possibly exits his prime, Butler understandably is looking for a high-dollar extension. The Heat, however, have reportedly been hesitant to do so, especially after comments made by Riley in which the executive stressed the importance of playing consistently in the regular season. Butler has not played more than 65 games in a regular season since 2016-17.
While Butler reportedly wants to be traded to the Phoenix Suns, Bradley Beal, the purported centerpiece of any major Suns trade, has a no-trade clause. Additionally, the Heat would seem much more comfortable letting Butler decline his player option this summer, alleviating them of any $50 million-plus commitment.