Six-time All-Star Miami Heat small forward Jimmy Butler has apparently taken another potential trade landing destination off the board.
Though he had been supposedly agitating for a trade to anywhere aside from the Memphis Grizzlies, Butler seems to be disinterested in playing next to two-time league MVP point guard Stephen Curry, four-time All-Star power forward Draymond Green, and the rest of the Golden State Warriors as they seek the fifth championship of their Curry/Green/Steve Kerr era.
Per Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the 6-foot-7 Marquette product has said he will not sign an extension to stay with the Golden State Warriors long-term, should the team trade for his services. That essentially has stopped trade talks between the Warriors and Heat dead in their tracks.
The Heat’s Jimmy Butler has communicated to the Warriors that he’s unwilling to sign an extension there & therefore trade talks to send him to Golden State have ended for now, sources told ESPN.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) February 3, 2025
Now, time is running out for the six-time All-Star to be moved to a new home ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.
Last month, word had leaked that Golden State was apparently uninterested in trading for Butler’s services.
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In retrospect, that appears to have been mere posturing, as the conversations seem to have continued until at least this weekend.
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Butler remains a talented, if mercurial, two-way star, even in his relative dotage at age 35 with 14 years of NBA mileage — including two runs to the NBA Finals with Miami — under his belt.
After contract extension talks with Miami decision-makers soured over the summer, Butler has made life difficult for the Heat. He’s been suspended three separate times this season while striving to force his way out of the team.
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Butler has long been linked to the Phoenix Suns, led by Curry’s former Warriors comrade Kevin Durant. Teams apparently have blanched at the prospect of taking back the lengthy, pricey contract of former All-Star Suns guard Bradley Beal, now a reserve.
In the 25 contests he’s managed to play for Miami this year between all those suspensions, the five-time All-NBA honoree is averaging 17.0 points on .540/.361/.801 shooting splits, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 steals a night.
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