Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jimmy Butler Out At Least Two More Games

December 27th, 2024 at 4:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Star forward Jimmy Butler remains in Miami and won’t rejoin the Heat until after they return from their current road trip, the team announced today (via Twitter).

That means Butler, who is being listed as out due to return-to-competition reconditioning following an illness, will miss games in Atlanta on Saturday and in Houston on Sunday before rejoining the Heat ahead of Wednesday’s game vs. the Pelicans in Miami. This weekend’s contests will be the fourth and fifth in a row that Butler has missed.

According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, the original expectation had been that Butler would travel to Orlando to meet up with the club following Thursday’s game vs. the Magic and would be on the team flight to Atlanta on Friday.

The timing of Butler’s absence is notable, given that ESPN reported on Wednesday he prefers to be traded out of Miami and team president Pat Riley announced on Thursday that the 35-year-old isn’t going anywhere. While there’s no doubt Butler was legitimately sick, it’ll raise some eyebrows that he’ll end up missing three games due to “return-to-competition conditioning” after missing just two due to that illness.

Still, there has been no confirmation from the team or from reporters that Butler’s extended recovery period is connected to those recent trade rumors or Riley’s statement.

We’ll see what the six-time All-Star has to say about the situation during his first media availability after the Heat return home early next week. Until then, it remains possible that things could escalate instead of quieting down, though multiple reports indicated earlier this week that Butler is fine with the idea of finishing out the season in Miami and intends to remain professional.

As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald tweets, the Heat announced on Thursday that they don’t intend to move Butler for a few reasons: They’re comfortable with their options for Butler next summer, even if he opts out of his contract; they want to win as many games as possible this season and believe Butler helps them do that; and there had been no indication that they were going to receive a trade offer they loved.

Grizzlies Interested In Nets Forward Finney-Smith

December 26th, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Grizzlies are a “team to watch” as the Nets look to move forward Dorian Finney-Smith, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article.

The two teams could be a match because the Nets have interest in the Grizzlies guard John Konchar, league sources tell Stein, who says the Magic and Heat are also looking at Konchar as a potential trade target.

It’s no secret Brooklyn is open for business regarding its veteran players as it tries to stockpile assets. Long noted for his defensive prowess, Finney-Smith is averaging 10.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game this season. He’s also shooting a career-best 45.2% on 3-point attempts.

Finney-Smith has missed the last three games with a left calf contusion. He’s pulling in $14.9MM this season and has a player option on his contract for 2025/26 worth $15.4MM.

Finney-Smith could provide depth at the power forward spot for the Grizzlies behind Jaren Jackson Jr. and offer an alternative to rookie Jaylen Wells at small forward.

Konchar has seen his playing time plummet this season. He started 46 games over the previous two seasons but has come off the bench this season and appeared in just 15 contests.

Konchar is in the first season of a three-year, $18.5MM contract. Luke Kennard‘s $9.25MM expiring deal would a logical contract to package with Konchar in a deal for Finney-Smith but there’s a big catch. As Stein notes, Kennard would lose his Bird rights if he’s traded, since he re-signed with Memphis on a one-year contract. That means he would have to approve any trade involving him, and it’s hard to see him agreeing to go to a rebuilding team like the Nets.

Southeast Notes: Butler, Banchero, Coulibaly, Sarr, Wong, Miller

December 26th, 2024 at 5:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jimmy Butler was in the spotlight quite a bit on Thursday, but he won’t be on the court tonight when the Heat play in Orlando. He’s listed as out due to return to competition reconditioning, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets. Butler is expected to rejoin the team on Friday when it prepares for Saturday’s road game against the Hawks.

Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley issued a statement on Thursday declaring that he won’t trade Butler. There has been heavy speculation regarding the future of Butler, who holds a $52.4MM option on his contract for the 2025/26 season.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Magic star Paolo Banchero continues to ramp up his on-court work, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports. Banchero has been sidelined eight weeks since he was diagnosed with a torn right abdominal muscle. However, he still hasn’t gone through a contact practice, so his timeline to return remains unclear.
Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr are available to play for the Wizards tonight against Charlotte, Varun Shankar of the Washington Post tweets. Both players sat out Monday’s loss to the Thunder.
2023 second-rounder Isaiah Wong is averaging 7.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in seven December games. Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer explores whether the Hornets may have found a diamond in the rough in Wong, who was signed to a two-way deal earlier this month.
Hornets forward Brandon Miller is back in action tonight after missing the last three games due to an ankle injury, Boone tweets.

Pat Riley Announces Heat Aren’t Trading Jimmy Butler

December 26th, 2024 at 12:51pm CST by Rory Maher

In an unusual move, Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley has made a public statement saying Miami isn’t trading Jimmy Butler (Twitter link).

“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.

Riley’s statement comes on the heels of ESPN’s Shams Charania reporting on Wednesday that Butler preferred a trade out of Miami, though he has not formally requested to be dealt, which was confirmed by multiple local reporters.

Neither Butler nor the Heat have denied that the star forward is unhappy with his contract situation, however, and Riley did not address that in his statement. That may be a moot point, since there’s no indication Butler has caused any friction behind the scenes, and he still has at least this season left on his contract, with a $52.4MM player option for 2025/26. But Butler did force his way out of Minnesota six years ago.

Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald followed up on Charania’s report by adding additional details, including that Butler would play out the season with Miami if that’s what the team decides, but would be fine with a change of scenery as well. Time will tell if Butler changes his mind on that stance.

Responding to the rumors prior to Riley’s announcement, head coach Erik Spoelstra made it clear the Heat want to keep Butler around.

“We want Jimmy here. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it,” Spoelstra said as part of a larger quote. “And it’s just unfortunate that you have to control or deal with a lot of the noise on the outside.”

Reporting in the wake of Miami’s elimination from the 2024 playoffs indicated that Butler would be seeking a maximum-salary extension during the offseason. Asked about that possibility during his end-of-season press conference in the spring, Riley expressed reluctance to make that sort of financial investment in a player “unless you have someone who is going to be available every night,” a reference to Butler’s injury issues in recent seasons.

Butler subsequently decided to remain with the Heat without an extension rather than pushing for an offseason trade. However, he has been unhappy about not being extended, according to The Miami Herald, which reported that Butler’s relationship with the Heat has become “somewhat strained.”

Marc Stein and others have reported that the Heat believe they’d be in a good position with Butler next summer, since the rebuilding Nets are the only team projected to have maximum-salary cap room. Jackson reiterated that point yesterday and again this morning, suggesting that Miami would be perfectly fine with — and even prefers — parting with Butler in a possible sign-and-trade in the offseason, even if it doesn’t return much value (Twitter links). That would only be possible if Butler declines his player option, which he still intends to do, according to Jackson.

Butler led the Heat to the NBA Finals in two of his first five seasons in Miami, and was a missed three-pointer away from making a third trip. The Heat lost on each occasion (to the Lakers and Nuggets, respectively).

A five-time All-NBA and five-time All-Defensive team member, Butler has been a highly effective two-way star for Miami when healthy. However, he will be 36 before the start of next season, and he has dealt with injuries throughout his 14-year career, only twice exceeding 70 games played in a regular season.

Of course, it’s always possible that the Heat could be trying to put a public rest to the recent drama while still listening to offers for Butler ahead of the February 6 trade deadline. We’ll see what happens over the next six weeks.

Heat Notes: Butler, Spoelstra, Johnson, Stevens, Rozier

December 26th, 2024 at 12:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Although his contract situation is the leading factor (he wanted an extension and the Heat haven’t offered one), another part of the reason Jimmy Butler prefers a trade out of Miami is that he’s been hoping the team would be able to acquire more impact players, but it has been unable to do so, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link).

“Over the last three years, Jimmy Butler has wanted the Heat to go get him some help in that roster,” Charania said. “They just have not been able to land players. They’ve gone after Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving. They have not been able to land that next big fish with Jimmy Butler.

“The writing, in a lot of ways, is on the wall, for the Heat and for Jimmy Butler.”

Charania, who first reported that the Heat were willing to entertain offers for the star forward earlier this season, reiterated that Miami doesn’t feel any urgency to move Butler, which has been confirmed by multiple local reporters, including Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Head coach Erik Spoelstra responded to the latest reports on Thursday, as Chiang and Jackson relay.

“That’s just the deal,” Spoelstra said. “You have to compartmentalize in this business. We want Jimmy here. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it. And it’s just unfortunate that you have to control or deal with a lot of the noise on the outside. In terms of this morning, this was a pretty focused group coming off of the last game that we came [to Orlando, when the Heat blew a 22-point fourth-quarter lead].”

ESPN and The Miami Herald have reported that Butler hasn’t formally requested a trade, but he’s not happy with his situation and is prepared to leave while still being professional. When asked directly if Butler has asked him to be moved, Spoelstra declined to answer.

“That’s all I’m going to talk about it,” Spoelstra said. “The more any of us talk about it, the more fuel it gets. It’s just really unfortunate that it just continues to build momentum outside of our building.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

All-Star center and team captain Bam Adebayo also addressed the Butler rumors, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “You go out there and you win games,” Adebayo said. “That’s how you keep the distractions out. You go out there and win games, do it together. Like I said, they’ll handle everything behind closed doors. Obviously, you have the business side of it. So at the end of the day, we’re all a family, we’re all in a brotherhood. So we’ll worry about the basketball games that we have to play.”
Dru Smith, who is on a two-way contract, was on track to be promoted to a standard deal before sustaining a torn left Achilles tendon, which will sideline him for the remainder of the season. In the wake of the devastating news, the Heat instead converted rookie forward Keshad Johnson‘s two-way contract into a standard deal. Johnson’s two-way spot was filled by Isaiah Stevens, with both signings officially completed today. “It’s well earned, we’re really happy for them,” Spoelstra said of Johnson and Stevens, per The Herald. “We congratulate them on that.”
Will Terry Rozier be able to step up in Smith’s absence? Winderman ponders that question in a subscriber-only mailbag.

Isaiah Stevens Signs Two-Way Contract With Heat

December 26th, 2024 at 9:49am CST by Arthur Hill

9:49am: Stevens’ two-way deal is official, the Heat confirmed in a press release.

8:43am: The Heat will fill a two-way opening by signing Isaiah Stevens from their Sioux Falls affiliate in the G League, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The move, which had been expected along with the promotion of Keshad Johnson to the 15-man roster, was confirmed to Charania by Stevens’ agent, Matt Bollero of ProMondo Sports.

Stevens, a 24-year-old point guard, was in training camp with Miami, but was waived before the start of the season. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract in July after going undrafted following four years at Colorado State.

He will be eligible to appear in 31 games with the Heat for the remainder the season, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). That’s a prorated portion of the usual 50-game limit.

Stevens is averaging 13.3 points and 10.9 assists in 17 games for the Skyforce, with a shooting line of .500/.317/.931. A three-time All-Mountain West selection, he was outstanding during Summer League as the Heat captured the championship in Las Vegas.

Miami has a December 29 deadline to add a 14th player to its roster — two weeks after trading Thomas Bryant to Indiana — so the moves with Johnson and Stevens will have to be finalized soon. Two-way player Dru Smith appeared to be in line for a promotion, but he suffered a season-ending Achilles tear on Monday.

Heat Promote Keshad Johnson To Standard Roster

December 26th, 2024 at 9:35am CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 26: Johnson’s promotion is official, the Heat announced in a press release.

DECEMBER 24, 3:20pm: Johnson’s salary for the rest of the 2024/25 season will be fully guaranteed, according to Chiang, who reports (via Twitter) that the signing is expected to become official on Thursday. Stevens is expected to fill the newly opened two-way slot, Chiang confirms.

Assuming Johnson signs a minimum-salary contract, he’ll earn a rest-of-season salary of $724,883, which will also be Miami’s cap hit. However, because Johnson joined the team as a free agent, for the purposes of tax and apron calculations, the deal would count for $1,307,699 (the same as a veteran minimum contract).

DECEMBER 24, 2:57pm: The Heat intend to promote Keshad Johnson to their standard 15-man roster, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Johnson, who is currently on a two-way contract, will be converted to a two-year standard deal, according to Charania. The second year will be a team option, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Johnson signed a two-way contract with Miami after going undrafted out of Arizona this summer. He has only logged 14 total minutes across three appearances for the Heat, but has been a standout for the team’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

In 13 games with the Skyforce, the 6’7″ forward has averaged 21.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 34.9 minutes per contest, with an excellent shooting line of .549/.396/.795.

The Heat dropped to 13 players on standard contracts when they traded Thomas Bryant to the Pacers on December 15. Since teams are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard deals for up to two weeks at a time, the club needs to re-add a 14th man by Dec. 29.

The expectation had been that another two-way player, Dru Smith, would fill that spot, but he suffered a season-ending Achilles tear on Monday, scuttling that plan. Another two-way player will get the promotion instead.

The fact that Johnson is getting a two-year contract suggests the team likely isn’t adding him to the roster as a placeholder, but it’s worth noting that the Heat could give him a non-guaranteed deal and then waive him before the league-wide guarantee date of January 7 if they want to take advantage of their full-season allotment of 28 days below 14 players for financial reasons. Miami’s team salary is currently about $3.7MM below the second tax apron.

While I’d expect Johnson to get a minimum-salary contract, Miami could use the taxpayer mid-level exception to give him more than the rookie minimum. If it’s a prorated minimum contract, his cap hit will depend on when the deal is officially completed.

Johnson’s promotion will open up a two-way slot for the Heat. G League standout Isaiah Stevens is among the top candidates for that opening, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Updates On Butler, Who Is Doubtful To Play Thursday

December 25th, 2024 at 6:03pm CST by Rory Maher

Star forward Jimmy Butler, who prefers a trade out of Miami but hasn’t formally requested to be dealt, is doubtful for Thursday’s contest in Orlando with what the Heat are calling “return to competition; reconditioning,” tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. A person with knowledge of the situation insisted to Jackson that Butler has been “genuinely sick” of late, causing him to miss most of the past three games, and that his absences have nothing to do with a potential trade. According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), Butler didn’t travel with the Heat to Orlando, but there’s still a chance he could make the short flight north if he’s feeling better.
Although Shams Charania of ESPN reported that multiple teams have been in touch with the Heat to express interest in Butler, it’s unclear if Miami has actually received a formal trade offer, according to Jackson and Chiang. Neither the Heat nor Butler’s camp have denied that he’s unhappy, but he’s also not “simmering with rage” about the situation, as Jackson puts it (Twitter link).

Jimmy Butler Prefers Trade Out Of Miami

December 25th, 2024 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Heat forward Jimmy Butler would prefer to be traded ahead of the February 6 deadline rather than sticking with Miami for the full season, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

Charania clarifies that Butler has not formally asked the Heat to trade him, but he’s “believed to be ready for his exit” from the franchise.

Butler has been the subject of trade rumors in recent weeks, with Charania first reporting on December 10 that the Heat were open to listening to offers on the six-time All-Star.

Charania stated at the time that the Mavericks, Rockets, and Warriors were a few of the teams that would appeal to Butler in the event of a trade, then added the Suns to that list the following day. Phoenix and Golden State are believed to be his top choices from among that group, Charania said today on NBA Countdown (Twitter video link).

Multiple teams have been in touch with the Heat within the past couple weeks to express interest in Butler, but Miami isn’t showing urgency in those discussions, sources tell ESPN.

Reporting in the wake of Miami’s elimination from the 2024 playoffs indicated that Butler would be seeking a maximum-salary extension during the offseason. Asked about that possibility during his end-of-season press conference in the spring, president of basketball operations Pat Riley expressed reluctance to make that sort of financial investment in a player “unless you have someone who is going to be available every night,” a reference to Butler’s injury issues in recent seasons.

Butler subsequently decided to remain with the Heat without an extension rather than pushing for an offseason trade. However, he has been unhappy about not being extended, according to Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

Following the publication of today’s ESPN report, reporters in Miami – including Chiang and Jackson – have cited sources who confirm Butler hasn’t demanded a trade. According to The Herald, Butler would play out the season with Miami if that’s what the team decides, but would be fine with a change of scenery as well.

The 35-year-old is earning $48.8MM this season and holds a $52.4MM player option for the 2025/26 season. Multiple reports have indicated he intends to turn down that option to become a free agent, whether or not he’s traded this season. Butler doesn’t have to make a decision on that option until late June though, so it’s possible he’ll use that stance for leverage purposes and opt in or sign an extension later in the season if he ends up in a situation he likes.

Marc Stein and others have reported that the Heat believe they’d be in a good position with Butler next summer, since the rebuilding Nets are the only team projected to have maximum-salary cap room. Chiang and Jackson reiterated that point today, writing that Miami is “not at all concerned” about losing the former Marquette standout for nothing in free agency. Still, Charania says both the Heat and Butler seem willing to move on from one another.

Butler’s relationship with the Heat has become “somewhat strained,” per Chiang and Jackson, who hear from a source that the 14-year veteran was disappointed the team didn’t publicly deny Charania’s Dec. 10 report that Miami was open to moving him. Butler was also the only Heat player not to attend a Christmas party at Riley’s house, though he has missed the party in the past, so that’s not necessarily meaningful, according to Chiang and Jackson (Twitter link).

The Herald duo hears from a source that Butler was “caught off guard” when Riley scolded him at his spring press conference for Butler’s claim that the Celtics and Knicks would “be at home” if he had been able to play in the postseason.

“If you’re not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut on the criticism of those teams,” Riley said at the time.

While the relationship between player and team isn’t as strong as it once was, Butler hasn’t been disruptive at all this season like he was in 2018 when he requested a trade out of Minnesota, according to The Herald.

Butler is averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 31.4 minutes per game across 20 outings so far this season, with a .552/.357/.782 shooting line. His season-long averages have been hurt to some extent by the fact that he was only able to play seven minutes in a pair of games that he left due to injuries.

Butler’s $48.8MM salary will complicate some teams’ ability to acquire him via trade. The Mavericks and Suns fall into that group and appear not to have enough assets to entice Miami, per Chiang and Jackson. The Rockets, meanwhile, have told people they’re not interested in pursuing Butler, a source tells The Herald.

Suns Looking To Move Jusuf Nurkic

December 24th, 2024 at 4:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns are shopping starting center Jusuf Nurkic, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports.

Phoenix’s front office is seeking another big man in return, with the Wizards‘ Jonas Valanciunas and Bulls‘ Nikola Vucevic among the players mentioned in trade talks.

There still are conversations about a deal with the Heat involving Jimmy Butler, Rankin adds, confirming a Marc Stein report. Bradley Beal would be a natural fit salary-wise in a Butler deal but he’d have to waive a no-trade clause — and the Heat would have to be willing to take on his multiyear, maximum-salary contract.

The Suns, with three star players in their lineup, are floundering at the .500 mark. Their desire to move Nurkic indicates they’re looking for ways to shake things up, though second apron restrictions limit what they can do.

Nurkic is averaging 9.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 24.5 minutes per game during his second season with the Suns. Nurkic played just 15 minutes against Denver on Monday. He averaged 10.9 PPG, 11.0 RPG and 4.0 APG last season.

Phoenix acquired him in the three-team blockbuster in which Damian Lillard was dealt to Milwaukee and former Suns center Deandre Ayton was sent to the Trail Blazers.

Nurkic is signed through next season. He’s making $18.125MM this season and will bring in $19.375MM next season.

Valanciunas is making $9.9MM this season, so there would need to be additional players in a transaction involving the Wizards. Vucevic, also signed through next season, is pulling in $20MM this season.