After the Miami Heat‘s first-round playoff exit to the Boston Celtics earlier this year, reports immediately surfaced that suggested that the team could trade Jimmy Butler. Butler, who is in his sixth season in Miami is potentially in a contract year. The Texas native has a $52.4 million player option for the 2025-26 NBA season. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Heat star is likely to opt out of his player option. This would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer. This has fueled trade rumors involving Butler to another level. Charania named the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and Dallas Mavericks as potential destinations for Butler. However, it seems that one of these three teams can be crossed off the list.
In a recent interview with SiriusXM’s Justin Termine, Rockets GM Rafael Stone made it clear that he does not anticipate any major trades for the Rockets anytime soon.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Miami Heat are open to listening to offers for Jimmy Butler.
Houston’s General Manager, Rafael Stone, shares his thoughts with @TermineRadio on trade speculation involving the Rockets. pic.twitter.com/cCclysaUZF
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) December 10, 2024
“Of course, my job is to be open to everything, so I’m not going to not do my job,” Stone said. “We like this team. We definitely do not intend to change anything, and I would be shocked if something changes this season. We like where we’re at. We want to continue [to] develop our guys full stop. Will I listen to other teams? Of course I will. That’s my job. But again, no, there’s no part of me, there’s no part of our decision-making process that suggests we’re looking to do anything big now or in the near term.”
Houston Rockets Unlikely to Trade for Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler Is ‘Fine’ With the Trade Speculation
In the midst of being a popular name in trade rumors, Butler has opened up about them. Per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, the 35-year-old is not bothered by the trade rumors.
“I actually like it,” Butler said following the Heat’s practice at Kaseya Center on Wednesday. “It’s good to be talked about. I don’t think there’s such a thing as bad publicity to a point. But if somebody is talking about me getting traded, that’s a lot.”
“Not really,” Butler said when asked Wednesday if getting another max contract is his top priority. “My kids matter, my happiness matters, my well-being matters and my family matters. Right now, it’s all about competing, staying healthy, playing some great basketball. I think I’ve done that so far, so we’ll see what we got.”
Additionally, according to Chinag, Butler has softened his stance on wanting to retire in Miami. Previously, Butler spoke about wanting to stay with the franchise, calling Miami “home.” However, the six-time All-Star was less committal this time around.
Does Butler still hope to spend the rest of his NBA career with the Heat? “I don’t know,” said Butler, who is in the middle of his sixth season with the Heat. “I’m pretty sure y’all are going to get a report that’s going to say otherwise anyways. So there’s no sense in me answering that question.”
It does not seem like Butler is saying he no longer wants to stay in Miami. However, it is an interesting development nonetheless.
The Favorites to Land Jimmy Butler
According to Bovada, the Rockets (+250) are still the favorites to trade for Butler. After them, the Warriors (+300), Brooklyn Nets (+400), Mavericks (+500), and Los Angeles Lakers (+800) round out the rest of the top five. The trade deadline is still a couple of months away, and Butler is one of the biggest names in the rumor mill. As he is in the midst of potentially his last season with the Heat, Butler is a player to monitor as we inch closer to trade season.
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