From the very moment he first became a star, it’s been well-known that Jimmy Butler has one goal on his mind. He wants to win an NBA Championship. He’s played for four different franchises, from the Chicago Bulls to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, and most recently, the Miami Heat for the past four years.
He reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals with the Bulls in 2013 and 2015 under Tom Thibodeau and again in 2019 with Brett Brown in Philadelphia. But he wouldn’t get his first taste of the NBA Finals until 2020 with the Heat.
Jimmy Buckets fell short of his destination in 2020, and even returning in 2023 didn’t lead to a championship trophy. But last year was a step back for Miami, where Erik Spoelstra’s team only reached the first round of the playoffs, with Butler unavailable for all five games due to injury.
Related: Former Chicago Bulls player reveals legendary encounter between Jimmy Butler and Fred Hoiberg
Jimmy Butler trade rumors heating up as summer arrives
Now, as the 34-year-old prepares for another season, there’s talk that Miami could trade their franchise player this summer. Since Butler is practically entering the final year of his contract (he has a player option for $52M in 2025), it would make sense for the Heat to get something of value in return for the five-time All-NBA talent instead of risking losing him to free agency.
Yet many others find it difficult to accept the idea that Butler would no longer be a featured role within the Heat culture. But not NBA insider Howard Beck, who practically guarantees Butler will be traded to a new team this offseason.
“Jimmy Butler will be traded. Rival executives have been buzzing about it for months, for all the obvious reasons. Butler is about to turn 35 (with a lot of hard miles and a lot of injuries)”
Howard Beck on Jimmy Butler trade rumors
He’s right. Butler turns 35 before the next NBA season starts, and he does have a lot of wear and tear on his knees from five years playing 36.7 or more MPG under Coach Thibs and averaging 33.7 MPG since arriving in Miami.
While Butler’s toughness will never be questioned, the one aspect he cannot control is his durability, and the Heat may be ready to focus all their attention on finding the next superstar to pair with Bam Adebayo. After coming up short in recent years, maybe trading Butler is what’s necessary to bring another elite talent to South Beach.
Related: Brian Windhorst drops another strong hint about the next major NBA transaction