The Miami Heat will not be rushed into making a bad deal just to rid themselves of Jimmy Butler.
Team sources told The Athletic’s Sam Amick that “Miami is prepared to take its time with a Butler trade to maximize its return.”
According to Amick, this has been the message shared internally, even after the team suspended Butler for what they call “conduct detrimental to the team.” Butler was suspended for seven games, and the earliest he can play is Dec. 17 against the Denver Nuggets. The length of the suspension coincides with a six-game, West-coast trip.
The Heat won't be rushed into making a bad Jimmy Butler trade.
More from Amick:
“With Butler’s actions on and off the court seen by Heat officials as increasingly problematic, team sources say they opted to sit him for the entirety of this trip so that the issues could be addressed in earnest when the team returns home rather than on the road.”
“In the wake of Butler’s trade request and subsequent suspension, team officials told Heat players that the prospect of the 35-year-old, six-time All-Star returning to the court with them after the suspension was the most likely next step.”
As the Miami Herald reported after the suspension, the Heat have not ruled out Butler rejoining the team following his suspension. The Heat, at 18-17, are highly motivated to make the playoffs this season.
As Butler recently told The Washington Post, “I still think I’m in my prime, if I’m being brutally honest.
With the team away, Butler has been working out at the team facility. If Butler returns and plays more like a player in his prime and less like he did in the two games leading up to his suspension, then he could help Miami on the court while also increasing his own trade value.
The Phoenix Suns are widely believed by league insiders to be Butler’s preferred destination.