NBA rumors: Heat's Jimmy Butler is 'gonna get traded,' insider claims

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NBA insider Brian Windhorst says the Miami Heat are going to trade Jimmy Butler. Windhorst made the comments on the ESPN sports talk show First Take Tuesday morning.

“I wasn’t sure about that maybe 7 or 10 days ago, but I’m really sure than ever that it’s going to happen. The Heat are trying to make it happen,” Windhorst said. “More teams are going to wade in here, because the price on Butler is going to be lower.”

Windhorst went on to say that this Heat situation with Butler is truly unique. The insider argued that Butler is in contention with Heat president Pat Riley. He compared the two men to an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.

“I actually think about there are couple of fascinating things about this. One is this Riley-Butler war,” Windhorst added. “You can do a miniseries on this battle back and forth.”

Butler reportedly recently walked out of a Heat practice session, and was suspended by the team. It appears that bad blood is increasing between Butler and the Miami franchise.

Jimmy Butler could help another NBA team if Heat trade him

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Butler is certainly a possible option to many NBA teams looking to make a push to the postseason. The Heat star is a six-time All-Star who has played for Miami since 2019.

The veteran was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2015. He’s a highly-experienced player who would certainly bring veteran leadership to a locker room. This season, Butler is averaging 17 points a game, while posting more than 30 minutes per contest. He’s still got plenty of gas left in the tank.

Miami and Butler seem to certainly be heading toward divorce. His season is marred by pain and frustration with the club leadership, leading to his suspensions.

"The Miami Heat are suspending Jimmy Butler without pay effective immediately for an indefinite period to last no fewer than five games," the Heat said in a statement, per the NBA. "The suspension is due to a continued pattern of disregard of team rules, engaging in conduct detrimental to the team and intentionally withholding services. This includes walking out of practice earlier today."

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says Miami will have to push through without their veteran for now.

"What it means right now is just we proved to ourselves that we have a tremendous amount of grit," Spoelstra said. "You know, and you gain confidence from that."

Miami next plays the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday.

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