Jimmy Butler is ready for a change of scenery.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, The Miami Heat star “prefers” an out-of-town trade before the Feb. 6 deadline. However, he has reportedly not formally requested a trade from the Heat.
Butler, 35, is in his 14th year in the NBA. He has been with the Heat since 2019. Miami is reportedly open to listening to offers for Butler, who primarily wants a trade to a “win-now contender.” The teams Butler is reportedly open to include the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets.
The Heat have made the playoffs in five of Butler’s six full seasons in Miami. He hoped the Heat could be his chance to win the NBA Finals and get his long-awaited championship ring, and they came close several times. The Heat reached the finals in 2020, Butler’s first season in Miami, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 in the COVID-19 bubble final. Three years later, the Heat returned to the finals, but lost 4-1 to the Denver Nuggets.
The 2023-2024 season was the first time the Heat have not been in the playoffs since Butler joined the team, and although the Heat are not in the cellar so far during the 2024-2025 season, they are fighting to keep their heads up. . water. They are sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 14-13 record, above the play-in line, but there are still plenty of games left to play. The two teams immediately behind the Heat have .500 records and could very easily surpass them.