Dwyane Wade Weighs in on Potential Jimmy Butler Heat Exit as Trade Deadline Looms

One Miami great assessed the potential departure of another.

Dwyane Wade during the Heat's 106–98 win over the Pistons on Oct. 28, 2024. / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

For the Miami Heat, 2025 has been a season of discontent.

Yes, the franchise—miraculously—has a 20-19 record with two games left before the season's halfway point. However, the team's on-court performance has been overshadowed by the tug-of-war between Heat forward Jimmy Butler and club brass—culminating in a seven-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team on Jan. 3.

Luckily for Miami, the team has no shortage of franchise icons ready and willing to address the situation. On Wednesday's edition of The Why With Dwyane Wade, the eponymous guard gave his perspective on the saga.

“To give Jimmy credit, Jimmy came in when they were losing the face of their franchise and became the face of the franchise,” Wade said “That’s hard to do. He became the people that those guys want to buy his jersey, wear his jersey. The Heat was a soft landing spot for Jimmy and Jimmy was exactly the star that the Heat needed for six years."

Butler's first year with Miami—2020—immediately followed Wade's last.

"This is a tragic way to end a relationship. So as a former player, it’s ugly on our franchise, it’s a stain on our franchise that we continue to have the way that the relationships break up," Wade said. "But also, too, on the other side, you don’t run that organization as a player. So you get to that space sometimes where you want to do things your way. It’s (president) Pat Riley’s way."

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