It was only a month ago that Pat Riley declared Jimmy Butler trade season over.
“We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches. Therefore, we will make it clear — we are not trading Jimmy Butler,” Riley said in a statement released in late December.
That public stance didn’t last long.
Not only have the Heat re-engaged in Butler trade talks, but they have lowered their price, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. In a separate appearance on First Take, Windhorst stated that while he wasn’t sure Butler would be traded 7-10 days ago, he is more sure than ever that it will happen, and for a relatively cheap price.
Butler isn’t looking good throughout this whole saga. He has lost some fans along the way, particularly those who reside in Miami. But many are missing the fact that he has gotten Riley to completely reverse course and, in his own unique way, has the Heat exactly where he wants them.
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Jimmy Butler is winning the war against Pat Riley
This isn’t the first time Butler has carved his own path to get his favored outcome.
As a member of the Bulls, Butler declared he was betting on himself, declining a four-year extension in the $40 million range to test restricted free agency. That risky move paid off. He won the Most Improved Player award and signed a maximum deal for $90 million.
Butler raised the stakes even more in Minnesota, burning bridges and demanding a trade after his first year. A contentious practice in which he beat the starters using a team of bench players along with an ESPN interview in which he aired his grievances forced the Wolves’ hand. He was traded a month later.
The war between Riley and Butler has been much more combative. Neither man wants to back down. But by repeatedly suspending Butler and lowering the price for him, Riley is doing exactly what Butler wants.
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Butler knows that the Heat are unlikely to give him his preferred contract this summer after the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement on an extension. He also knows that the Heat aren’t good enough as currently constructed to win. Now, he gets to have his cake and eat it too.
Whatever team trades for Butler will do so knowing they likely have to re-sign him to a big deal or risk paying for a half-season rental. And only good playoff teams would be interested in him in the first place. Butler is going to a better team and getting his next paycheck in the process.
Butler is also hurting his trade value with his antics, which will only serve to keep his new team strong and make it easier for good teams to acquire him.
Butler may have lost some respect by walking out of a practice, having the Heat leak details about private plane accommodations for him and playing with low effort. That clearly doesn’t matter much to him.
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Additionally, the money Butler is losing via suspension may be recouped after the Player’s Association filed a grievance on his behalf. His case will go to arbitration this summer, where the Heat will try to argue that he was withholding services. It will likely end in some sort of settlement where Butler gets at least part of that money back, as Ben Simmons did several seasons ago during his holdout.
That Butler is pulling all of this off is incredible when you stand back and look at it. He very well may get Bradley Beal, who has the worst contract in the league, moved as part of a deal for him. That would have been considered impossible at the start of the season due both to Beal’s low value and his no-trade clause. Now, it is a real possibility.
There’s a saying that you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet. Butler is breaking several hundred, single-handedly causing egg inflation throughout the country to get his way. But it is looking more and more likely that he will get that omelet, and it will have happened because he pressed all the right buttons to get Riley to change his position.
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