Jimmy Butler Says He’s Unlikely to Get His ‘Joy Back’ with Heat amid Trade Rumors

Julia StumbaughJanuary 3, 2025

Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

Jimmy Butler has “indicated to the Miami Heat” that he wants to be traded ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst.

Butler “is open to playing anywhere other than Miami,” according to Charania and Windhorst.

Per ESPN, Butler’s relationship with the Heat has not recovered since Pat Riley’s critical words after the team’s playoff loss to the Boston Celtics last postseason.

“If you’re not on the court playing, you should keep your mouth shut,” Riley said at the time.

While there will likely be plenty of suitors for Butler, it’s clear this is just a rental situation. According to Charania and Windhorst, teams have been informed the guard will decline his $52 million player option for 2025-26 and become a free agent.

The news comes after Butler said on Thursday night that he does not believe he can get back to enjoying basketball with the Heat.

“What do I want to see happen? I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball, wherever that may be,” Butler said after the Heat’s Thursday night loss to the Indiana Pacers. “We’ll find out here pretty soon, but gotta get my joy back.

“I’m happy here, you know, off the court. But I want to be back to somewhat dominant. I want to hoop. I want to help this team win, but right now, I’m not enjoying it.”

When asked if he could get his joy back on the court in Miami, Butler answered, “Probably not.”

Wes Goldberg @wcgoldbergJimmy Butler with an extremely candid media session.

Said he wants his joy back on the court.

Asked if he can find that joy here, he replied “Probably not.” pic.twitter.com/AwSLbstr4W

Butler was held to nine points while taking just six shots on Thursday night, and he was outscored by 27 points in the 27 minutes he was on the court against the Pacers.

The loss to the Pacers marked his second straight nine-point outing since returning from a five-game absence due to illness.

That 13-day absence from the team didn’t keep Butler’s name out of headlines. Over that stretch, Charania reported that Butler “prefers a trade out of Miami,” to which team president Pat Riley responded with a definitive statement that the Heat “are not trading Jimmy Butler.”

Butler returned to the court on Wednesday only to be benched in the fourth quarter of a win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game the decision was made with the aim of helping Butler readjust following his absence.

Despite his limited role in his last two games, Butler pushed back on Thursday night against the idea that his effort had decreased since Riley’s statement.

“I feel like I did my job, at least what my job is now,” Butler said, adding: “You won’t say that I’m out there not playing hard. It may look like that because my usage is down, and I don’t shoot the ball a lot, but we won’t say that I don’t play hard.”

Butler has recorded a 20.3 usage percentage through his first 22 games, which would mark his lowest full-season rate in 13 campaigns.

Butler “does plan to take part in all team activities and will plan to do whatever the Heat ask of him” while waiting for a trade, Charania and Windhorst reported.

For now the Heat will continue to lean on Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro to drive the team’s offense while attempting to find a resolution to an increasingly tense situation with Butler.