Heat had ‘productive’ trade talks with Jimmy Butler

The Jimmy Butler and Miami Heat the fiasco continues as they try to find a replacement for the disgruntled star. Butler is back after a seven-game suspension and played in the last two games for the Heat, but that didn’t change his opinion about the trade. He was letting the organization know that he she still wants to be resettledaccording to ESPN’s Sham Charania.

“Jimmy Butler tripled his trade request,” Charania told NBA Today. “He did it to Pat Riley’s face, and last week he did it to Mickey Arison, the team’s owner and CEO. I’m told the Heat had productive discussions this week about a potential Butler trade.

It’s unclear which teams the Heat have held talks with, but Butler made it seem like he’d rather play with anyone other than Miami. Right now there seems to be a lot of tension between him and Pat Riley as he has not been offered a contract extension. Butler has a player option for next season worth $52 million, and if he isn’t traded before the deadline, he will likely opt in during the offseason in hopes of a team trading him.

It doesn’t seem like many teams are on the phone trying to land Butler, but there are a few candidates who could use what he brings to the field. The main problem is trying to match the salary to what Butler is making in order to make the trade work.

The Heat are still trying to find a replacement for Jimmy Butler

While the trade talks may have caused disruption within the organization, Jimmy Butler says it has the dynamics on the floor should not change a lot because it’s just basketball while he’s here now.

“Right now it’s just basketball, knowing what’s expected of me while I’m here, trying to do it the best I can,” Butler said. “But we are where we are.”

While Butler is suspended, the Heat have been led by Tyler Hero, who appears to be the future of the team at this point. Butler didn’t have the ball as usual, and Herro took advantage of his opportunity to show the NBA world that he is a real scorer. If the Heat end up trading Butler, it would be best for them to find someone who can complement Herr and what he does.

For now, the only team that seems serious about trading for Butler is the Phoenix Suns, and they can’t make a move unless Bradley Beal waives his no-trade clause and clears where he’s going.