The Miami Heat are in a familiar spot even if they’re not entertaining external chatter.
On Tuesday, our old pal Shams Charania of ESPN reported Miami is open to listening to trade offers for five-time All-Star Jimmy Butler, who The Athletic’s Anthony Slater mentioned as a possible trade target for contenders back in May. Butler has a $52.4 million opt-out clause to weigh next summer, meaning he could depart from the Heat for nothing if Miami decides against trading him during the season.
For Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who would rather focus on Miami enjoying its hottest stretch of the season rather than dwell on the rumor, such chatter is par for the course. Until Damian Lillard finally left the Portland Trail Blazers last year, there was ample chatter about Miami being eager to deal Tyler Herro, who is a threat to make his first All-Star team this season after being routinely referenced as the piece to bring Lillard to the Heat in prior years.
In Butler’s case, his potential departure from the Heat doesn’t appear imminent, and Miami remains locked in on climbing the East standings. Spoelstra and Miami’s front office will not be speculating about the future of their best two-way player. At this time of the season, teams are sizing up potential deals as the NBA’s date to trade newly signed free agents nears (Dec. 15). And, with the league’s trade deadline still two months away, talk about Buter’s future — whether due to his value, contract decision or Miami’s future — may only increase, but the Heat don’t seem too worried about the rumor mill.
“I didn’t mention anything like I did before,” Spoelstra explained at practice on Tuesday. “I think the biggest message is the fact that we’re 3-0 right now this past week. And the player that was rumored in so many trade speculations for the last three years, it seemed like every week, that player is still here, and he was Player of the Week.
“So, that’s really the only thing I’m thinking about. It has been our best, most consistent stretch of the season. Anything else — any other narrative — I don’t care. Nobody should because most of this stuff is just a bunch of gibberish.”
Dating back to 1995, when Alonzo Mourning joined Miami after a contract dispute with the Charlotte Hornets, the Heat have enjoyed a reputation for star acquisitions, but Miami has always acted with calculation. Since Mourning’s arrival, the likes of LeBron James (2010 from the Cleveland Cavaliers), Chris Bosh (also 2010, from the Toronto Raptors) and Shaquille O’Neal (2004 from the Los Angeles Lakers) have been the biggest names to don a Heat jersey, and their respective stints resulted in some of the most successful seasons in franchise history.
Likewise has been the case since Butler joined Miami in 2019. Since then, the Heat have enjoyed two NBA Finals appearances without securing a championship, but the six-time All-Star has been a catalyst behind Miami enjoying the NBA’s seventh-best win percentage during his stint (.579). If Miami decides to deal Butler, doing so in haste would go against the team’s history of ensuring it doesn’t bottom out before bidding farewell to a star.
Upon joining the Heat, Mourning stated a desire to end his NBA career with the franchise, which is technically what happened (thanks to the unforgettable Mourning era in Toronto), but not before a contract dispute between both parties culminated in Mourning signing a four-year, $20 million deal with the then-New Jersey Nets. By 2005, he returned to Miami as a backup to O’Neal en route to the franchise’s first championship in 2006.
“Zo has received an opportunity that is impossible for us to match,” Riley said in 2004. “We each really wanted to make this work, but both sides realized that it was probably time to make a change.”
Differences over deals and dollars are commonplace in the NBA. As the salary cap has grown over the years, collective bargaining agreements have become more stringent and seemingly shrink windows of contention for teams threading fine needles. The respective arrivals of LeBron, Bosh and O’Neal helped Miami further establish itself as a winning destination within the league, even if those good times didn’t last forever.
When O’Neal left, it was because his contract dispute with the Heat became contentious enough for him and Riley to confront one another face-to-face during practice. In his autobiography, Shaq Uncut: My Story, the Big Fella recounted telling Riley to “make me leave” practice as the exchange graduated to hand-slapping and chest-bumping. The end result was O’Neal being dealt to the Phoenix Suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks — hardly equal value, but it was clearly time for a new chapter.
On the other hand, while LeBron’s Miami departure in 2014 wasn’t nearly as contentious, it felt almost inevitable for him to apply the championship lessons he learned in South Florida to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. At that point, Dwyane Wade was no longer in peak form, which led to his own contract beef with Miami, and the Heat had little recourse to maintain a championship-caliber roster beyond its Big 3. Wade spent two more seasons in Miami before signing with his hometown Chicago Bulls after failing to reach a deal with Miami’s front office. He joined LeBron in Cleveland for a cup of coffee before ending his career with the Heat, who, of course, recently honored the 2006 NBA Finals MVP with a statue that almost broke the internet.
The Miami Heat have unveiled a statue honoring franchise legend Dwyane Wade 🔥
🎥 @MiamiHEATpic.twitter.com/Efe58Ei7id
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 27, 2024
That cannot be the Dwyane Wade statue
— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) October 27, 2024
HEAT WIN ON DWYANE WADE STATUE NIGHT pic.twitter.com/FtVSJPXIU9
— michael (@3MWD__) October 29, 2024
Once those two left, Bosh retired shortly afterward due to a blood clot, effectively ending the finest four-year stretch in team history without recouping much more than great memories (and a pair of banners). When Miami has moved on from stars, the team has rarely budged an inch before ever being ready, even if it means losing a big name for either nothing at all or far less than what it took to reach a deal. In fact, Riley prides himself on maintaining a front office and coaching staff of former players who maintain good relationships with the team.
Is that an infallible formula? Not necessarily, seeing as Miami is still seeking its first title in a decade, but continuity is also a big reason the team has endured only one losing season in that time. Butler rumors could trigger excitement for seeing the likes of Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors) or Jalen Green (Rockets) in a Heat uniform, but trade rumors are ultimately a waiting game until something actually shakes loose. Until then, though, the Heat remain focused on riding their hottest stretch of the season and maintaining the continuity that has turned their season around. And, given the work done by Sam Amick, John Hollinger and Mike Vorkunov on The Athletic’s top NBA front offices, it’s hard to not trust Miami’s patience approach to not bottoming out, even if awaiting their big swings isn’t always a fun game.
“I gotta check my phone still this morning,” Herro said Tuesday of the Butler rumors. “The vibes felt good in here. I don’t know what you’re talking about — great vibes.”
(Top photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images )
