Butler is 1000% unwilling to play for the Heat anymore and is doing everything he can to get the team to trade him away.
As the saying goes, "A forced melon is not sweet."
With no intention of continuing to play for the Heat, Butler has been performing poorly on the court, scoring only 9 points in each of his last two games.
Although the Heat previously stated that they would not trade Butler, they could not resist his proactive application for a trade.
Yes, Butler has done it; he has formally submitted a trade request to the Heat, and the relationship between the two sides has completely deteriorated.
This time, Butler did not specify a destination team; he is willing to go to any team except the Heat, confident that he can make himself and his new team competitive anywhere.
However, there is still an old problem: it's not that teams are unwilling to take over, but rather that the goddess only wants to have fun and then leave.
All teams in the league have been notified that Butler will decline his player option worth $52.41 million next season and enter the free market.
This means that the team trading for Butler from the Heat this season may only have half a year of his services...
Many people may be curious as to why the Heat do not proactively trade Butler, at least to recover some assets for themselves; do they love him that much?
Salary expert Marks explained that if the Heat insist on keeping Butler until his 48.8millionsalaryforthisseasonexpires,theteam′ssalarywilldecreaseto47 million below the luxury tax line, and they will also enjoy:
a 14millionnon−taxmid−levelexception;a5.1 million biannual exception; expired contracts worth over $50 million; the ability to recover more salary in trades.
Therefore, it's not that the Heat are unwilling to trade Butler, but rather to maximize their own interests; one should never talk about sentiment with an NBA commercial league team.
With Butler officially entering the trade market, the new year's NBA trade market naturally heats up again.
Freshly proposed trade suggestions include the Nuggets sending Porter Jr., Naji, and Saric to the Heat in exchange for Butler and Richardson.
Another trade proposal comes from Lakers reporter Faigen, who suggests packaging Hachimura, Vincent, Vanderbilt, Christie, Wood, a first-round pick, and four second-round picks to acquire Butler from the Heat.
In summary, Butler's destination will greatly influence the entire league. If he joins a strong team, it could directly cause a seismic shift and become a game-changer in the championship race.
No one doubts Butler's abilities in the playoffs. In his six seasons with the Heat, he reached the finals twice, and in 2022, he fought against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals for seven games before losing. His leadership skills have been proven and recognized, so any team aiming for the championship will be interested in acquiring him.
We'll see if any team has the courage to emulate the Raptors' move in the 2018-19 season, using Kawhi Leonard's one-year rights to win their first championship in team history.
Moreover, after Butler enters the free market next summer, the team that takes him on this season will still be able to re-sign him at that time, provided they offer satisfactory terms, such as a maximum contract.
The catalyst for Butler's departure from the Heat and subsequent rupture was his failure to obtain a two-year, $113 million early renewal contract.
After all, it all boils down to money, which is, of course, human nature.
What are your thoughts on Butler's future prospects? Grab your keyboard in the comment section and let loose with your opinions!