Jimmy Butler had a face-to-face meeting last week with Pat Riley and reiterated his desire to be traded. Butler added that he will not sign a new contract with the Heat and intends to only use his $52 million player option for 25-26 as a trade maneuver.
Butler’s seven-game suspension ends on Thursday. The Heat are faced with a decision on how to move forward with Butler with either him returning to the roster or a trade. Heat officials will meet later this week to discuss next steps.
The Heat have engaged with multiple teams on Butler trade scenarios and have received offers but have been hesitant to negotiate further. Butler prefers a trade to the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks or Houston Rockets.
Butler’s decision to request a trade was in part due to an implication from team officials that he hadn’t played his hardest in the Heat’s victory over the Pelicans on New Year’s Day.