Sources: Heat's Butler prefers trade out of Miami

Six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler prefers a trade out of Miami ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline, league sources told ESPN.

ESPN reported in the Inside Pass on Dec. 10 that the Heat are willing to listen to trade offers for Butler, and that Butler wants a win-now contender in any deal. Butler has not formally requested a trade, sources said, but is believed to be ready for his exit.

Butler has $49 million on his contract with the Heat for this season and a $52 million player option for 2025-26 after the two sides failed to reach an extension last summer. Both sides appear ready to move on from this Butler-led era as the Heat lean into a rising core of All-Star center Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro (in the midst of a career season), and Butler's player option for next season has given the parties their own vantage point of leverage.

Teams have been informed that Butler intends to decline his 2025-26 player option and become a free agent in July, sources said.

Butler is open to trade destinations such as the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, league sources said. Multiple teams have called the Heat to express interest in Butler in the past two weeks, but Miami has not shown urgency in talks as the franchise monitors the first half of the season, those sources said.

The Heat, in sixth place in the East, could simply play out the season and view whether Butler opts in or opts out. However, to reach a new home via trade, Butler needs the Heat's help -- a test of balance in how the franchise handles doing right by its cornerstone of the past half decade.

The Heat signed Adebayo to a three-year, $166 million maximum extension last offseason, but elected not to move forward with a similar deal with Butler.

Butler, 35, is averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists this season. He is one of the NBA's elite competitors and a perennial postseason performer. His teams have made the playoffs in 12 of his first 13 seasons, including the five previous seasons in Miami, where he has led the Heat to two NBA Finals berths and one additional Eastern Conference finals appearance.

After Miami beat Boston in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals to reach the NBA Finals, the Celtics made two huge moves, acquiring Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis, who played major roles in their run to the championship in 2024. The Heat's efforts to add star power around Butler and Adebayo have failed, including losing out to other teams for Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in recent years.