“I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball. Wherever that may be,” announced Jimmy Butler. With the end of the trade deadline looming, where will Butler end up? The superstar power forward of the Miami Heat has requested a trade due to the Heat’s reluctance to give him a new contract. The reasons include his age and his questionable injury history.
The thirty-six-year-old has been a part of this organization since 2020, and he has been a staple of Miami’s “Heat Culture” ideology. Butler has taken this team to the finals twice since then and has made multiple playoff appearances. He has averaged 21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2.1 stocks (steals and blocks) per game on 61% true shooting since joining South Beach.
“Jimmy Buckets” has been suspended three times this season due to antics related to his feud with the Heat’s front office. The first time he was suspended for missing a mandatory team flight before a game against Orlando. He was then suspended for telling coach Erik Spoelstra to “get over” the whole contract debacle. Later on, he was suspended again for leaving in the middle of practice after finding out that he was being replaced in the starting lineup.
A lot of questions have been asked about where he will be traded, but the most common answer heard by fans and analysts is Phoenix. The Suns have a desire to get rid of Bradley Beal (with his abhorrent no-trade clause) and Jusuf Nurkic. The Suns hope that Beal can lift his no-trade clause so they can move him to acquire Jimmy. Unlike Miami, the Suns are completely willing to give Jimmy Butler the contract that he desires. Phoenix is into this “win now” mentality with stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, so having a third star who is better than Beal defensively would enthrall them.
Another team interested in his services is the New Orleans Pelicans. The team is struggling with injuries this year and has been chugging along with a 12-36 record. This team houses Brandon Ingram, who also wants to leave in free agency. His expiring deal could be captivating to the Heat, as they could dump him and pick up another marquee free agent later on. If they decide to pursue this, the Heat can participate in a sign-and-trade with the Pelicans for Ingram. They would do this if they want to acquire other assets instead of letting Ingram walk to another team after trading Butler (and others) for him.
The Golden State Warriors are a “dark horse” team in the Jimmy Butler acquisition race. This team has dipped its toes into the trade market this year, acquiring Dennis Schröder from the Nets recently, so it would make sense that they would like to pursue Butler. The Warriors want to make a “win now” move to help their aging superstar Stephen Curry before he either retires or leaves the Warriors.
While all three teams could likely acquire Butler, the Suns are the most likely to pursue him. This is because Butler desires to go to a team that will give him the extension he wants. Also, the Suns made another trade to get some picks and cash. They traded their 2031 first-round pick to the Utah Jazz for three first-round picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029. The Suns did this to leverage more picks if needed in a trade (two of those picks came from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers).
The following are statements that Union Catholic students made about the whole situation. They were asked, “What do you think about the whole Jimmy Butler situation?” and “What team do you think he will end up on?”
“I think he is acting like a child; I also like that the Heat are putting their foot down when dealing with him,” said Chris Catania ’25. “I have no clue where he will end up.”
“I think that the Heat aren’t compensating for Jimmy Butler enough. I think he is a star who has given everything to that organization and deserves better. I think he will end up on the Suns,” said Aidan Quinn ’25.
“I think he will be traded to the Suns; I also think that the whole situation is too much for everyone. A formal trade will be good for both parties,” said Ryan Conlon ’26.
