How far can you go before you cannot come back anymore?
The Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler may be working to answer that question right now. Signing Butler always meant it was going to end poorly, and the Heat certainly got what they hoped for out of the deal: a hyper-competitive star who elevated his game in the playoffs and ensured they had a chance in any series against any opponent.
In the last five seasons, 8 different teams have reached the NBA Finals. Only the Boston Celtics, with their plethora of highly-drafted stars, and the Miami Heat have been there twice. Butler took rosters full of Bam Adebayo and role players and made them something more, and two trips all the way to the Finals are now etched in stone on the annals of league history.
Now, however, the inevitable fraying of that relationship has come. It's come at every stop for Butler; the Chicago Bulls traded him because they didn't want to pay him, so he leveled up in Minnesota. The Timberwolves wanted him to wait to get paid so they could keep both him and Andrew Wiggins, so he went scorched-earth, set the young core back a few years in self-esteem, and forced a trade to Philadelphia.
The 76ers tried to have their cake and eat it too, and that meant another change, this time to the Miami Heat. If there is one franchise with a more proud or more accomplished decision-maker at the top of the organization it's hard to find. Pat Riley does things his way, and it has resulted in a lot of success -- and a lot of hurt feelings.
Butler and the Heat are heading for a breakup
Butler + Riley meant exceptional basketball and ultimately a bad breakup. The time seems like now for that breakup to occur. Riley made a public declaration this past summer that summed up to "we aren't paying Butler the max" and Butler somewhat understandably wants to the max. How much is playoff magic worth in an oft-injured star who is closer to 40 than 30? That's a hard question to answer, and the Heat made it clear the answer was not "the max."
Butler made his comments through the media. Pat Riley fired back with a public statement. Butler then milked an injury, then when he came back played at 50 percent like he was in an exhibition. When asked about his lacksadaisical play, Butler said he didn't have his "joy" and probably couldn't find it in MIami. The trade demand came shortly thereafter.
Riley, of course, didn't capitulate -- it's not in his nature to be bullied by a player, no matter the level of stardom. He flipped the script, offering to field any trade calls, and promptly suspended Butler for seven games. The two sides continue to tug the rope in their direction trying to control the situation and public perception.
Everything felt pointed toward a resolution during this seven-game suspension. The Heat were going to hear all of the offers and make the trade that worked best for them. Butler would never again have to take the court for the Heat, and the two sides could move on with their lives.
The problem? The trade offer just isn't there for the Heat to say yes.
The Heat may not trade Jimmy Butler
The Heat have made it clear they are not interested in a package centered around significant long-term money. They want expiring money, draft capital and/or young prospects. Most of the teams with interest in Butler, however, have packages that would involve future money. That includes most obviously the Phoenix Suns and Bradley Beal, who has another two seasons of insane money after this one.
Miami only has two games left on their road trip, at which point the suspension for Butler will end. Marc Stein made it clear on the All-NBA podcast this weekend that the two sides are preparing for there not to be a trade in place -- not only by the end of the week, but this season entirely.
Can Butler and the Heat really come back from this? Can they bury the hatchet enough to finish out the season, or even make another run in the playoffs together? At his heart Butler is a competitor; if no deal comes to fruition, could he truly not give his all on a team ready to go to war in the postseason?
There is a lot of ground to cover before that point, and still three weeks and change to go before the Trade Deadline. An offer palatable for Miami could emerge, or Butler could escalate things and force Riley's hand - if it's even moveable.
Yet increasingly, as the offers come in and the Heat emphatically hang up the phone on each of them, it seems that the two sides may need to come together and go back to work, be that for a few weeks or even a few months. That's not what everyone expected just a week or two ago, but this trade saga is nothing if not exciting and unpredictable.