After a few weeks of constant Jimmy Butler trade rumors, Miami Heat president Pat Riley came out and denied everything. In his words, they are not trading Jimmy. On the surface, it shows that the Heat are committed to pivoting and improving around the edges to make a Butler-led team a contender. But dig deeper, and it is clear the old man is looking to the future.
Pat Riley is Ready to go Big Game Hunting Again
Riley gave fans around the league a Christmas gift, coming out and saying Miami has no intention of trading Butler. Here is what Riley said,
“We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches. Therefore, we will make it clear – We are not trading Jimmy Butler.”
Now, not trading Butler and Jimmy wanting a trade are two different things. Both might be true, and in this case, it seems likely.
Previous reports claimed Jimmy wanted out of Miami by the trade deadline, putting pressure on the organization. Now, Riley has reclaimed the power of deciding where and for what he will trade Jimmy. Let’s not forget that Masai Ujiri gave almost the exact same statement before trading DeMar DeRozan out of Toronto. He later even issued an apology for the “lack of communication.”
Riley’s Power Move
Pat Riley has probably seen the trade market and evaluated everything. There is no game-changer that they can get for trading Jimmy. All reports point to either the Warriors or the Nuggets, with the former dangling Jonathan Kuminga while the latter trying to swap Michael Porter Jr. for Jimmy. Kuminga is an interesting young prospect, but he will demand a max contract extension in the summer. Porter hasn’t shown enough consistency over the years as a reliable second or even third option. The Houston Rockets were an interesting option, but they are not interested in breaking their team.
All of that leaves Riley with the obvious decision. It is better to stick with Jimmy and try to patch things up than to trade him for pennies on the dollar. Bill Simmons also floated the idea recently on his podcast, saying,
“Jimmy knows he can’t go anywhere, so if he could really just blow this up now, that’s not great for him. That’s going to make teams less excited to sign him this summer.”
The end result might be Jimmy resigning for one more year in Miami, and that is exactly what Pat Riley is hoping.
Pat Riley and the Heat Prepare for the Summer of 2026
Next year, there will be only a few teams with cap space, including teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, and possibly the San Antonio Spurs. The last one is an interesting option, but the Spurs have rarely signed old veterans.
Riley has done this before, preparing the team and payroll for a possible free-agent star. He knows that trading for a big name during the season is harder with the new CBA. Nobody expected the Heat to have a cap for three max contracts when LeBron James teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. But Riley planned beforehand. Of course, it doesn’t always turn out great. He planned for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but he resigned with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Who is Pat Riley Targeting?
While it looks obvious, things have not picked up yet on a possible Miami Heat Luka Doncic destination. Luka has a player option for 2026-27. He will be 27 at the time, a year older than LeBron when he joined the Heat.
As it stands now, the Heat have two players under contract for 2026-27, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. If Jimmy exercises his player option, the Heat will have massive cap space in the summer of 2026. Luka will not be the only free agent available at the time. Teams will also monitor the situation with De’Aaron Fox, who will be 29, Mikal Bridges, who will be 30, and Trae Young, who will be 28.
All of that can change next summer if Jimmy and the Heat negotiate a new contract. But as it stands now, it looks like Riley is planning for a big name in the summer of 2026. It won’t be the first time.
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