The Warriors are one of the teams engaged with Miami about trading for disgruntled star Jimmy Butler, according to a Tuesday report from ESPN’s Shams Charania. Phoenix has been the most commonly discussed suitor for the 35-year-old forward.
Charania reported that Miami is seeking draft capital and short-term contracts in return for Butler.
This week, the Heat suspended Butler indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team. He reportedly walked out of practice after being informed he’d come off the bench. This instance is the third time this season Miami has suspended the veteran. Butler has a player option for $52.4 million next year but is said to want a long-term extension.
Butler missed last year’s first-round playoff series — a five-game loss to Boston — with a strained MCL, then said in a radio interview that the Heat would have won if he had played.
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His relationship with the Heat deteriorated after the organization declined to extend him last summer and team president Pat Riley called him out publicly, saying, “If you’re not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut.”
Butler has been the face of Miami’s team since arriving in the summer of 2019 via a trade from Philadelphia, helping the Heat make two NBA Finals appearances. He has previously made waves on his way out of Chicago and Minnesota in trades and is averaging 17 points in 25 games so far this season, his lowest average in more than a decade.
The trade deadline is Feb. 6.
