Jimmy Butler could be counting his final days with the Miami Heat.
NBA analyst Brian Windhorst of ESPN revealed on his podcast that several people in the league view the enigmatic All-Star swingman as a potential trade candidate entering the final year of his contract.
The 35-year-old Butler will enter his sixth year with the Heat, and the stakes couldn’t go any higher for him to deliver All-Star type of numbers this season as he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
On the latest episode of the Hoops Collective Podcast, Windhorst and his guest analysts Tim Bontemps and Tim McMahon talked about a variety of hot NBA topics, including where the Heat currently stand in the Eastern Conference pecking order and a possible trade that would end Butler’s stay in Miami.
Windhorst claimed that there are those in the NBA who are keeping a close eye on Butler’s position with the Heat because they believe he is one of several All-Star level players that could end up with another team on or before the deadline.
“Maybe Jimmy follows through on what he says, like, ‘Hey, contract year, this is a prove-it type of year for me,’ and he’s all business,” Windhorst stressed. “No one questions his ability to play the game and impact winning when he’s on the floor.”
“But if you talk to people around the league and say, ‘Who’s the next big-name or star-caliber player who gets traded?’ there are at least some eyes on Jimmy Butler.”
All Eyes on Jimmy Butler
Butler surprised everybody during the Miami Heat media day when he broke his tradition of showing up with weird hairdos. After trying out dreadlocks and emo hairstyles in the past two seasons, Jimmy walked into the media room with his normal braids.
Asked what made him dump his “hairy media day antics,” Butler said he wanted everyone to focus on his game and no longer his hair.
“I’m here. Normal hair. No shenanigans,” Butler said when asked about his suspiciously-normal styled hair. I guess I got to get there and get hoop. I got to prove that I am a major part of winning and rightfully so.
Windhorst Thinks Butler is Poised for a Big Season
Despite averaging 20.8 rebounds, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists during the 2023-24 season, Butler could not play in the games that mattered the most last season as he sat out the entire first-round series with the Boston Celtics due to a sprained right MCL he suffered in a play-in game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
In an August episode on the Hoops Collective podcast, Windhorst warned everybody that Butler will be in a “killer mode” because he has so much on the line next season.
“Jimmy Butler–highly motivated to be a free agent–I think is a different animal,” Windhorst said on the podcast. “The Heat have had absolutely miserable health luck the last couple of years. Miserable.
“At times, it seems like Jimmy looks for reasons not to play. And maybe that will be the prevailing situation. But I believe that Jimmy is going to be in killer mode to try to prove himself to the Heat and whoever else in the league (this season).”
Butler was eligible for a two-year, $112.6 million extension last summer but he chose not to sign with the Heat or other team had he been traded. He made this gamble for a shot at a longer and more lucrative paycheck next summer, which will likely be his last high-paying NBA deal since he just turned 35.
