Inside The Heat

NBA Insider Says Miami Heat Are In "Driver's Seat" Of Keeping Jimmy Butler

Shandel Richardson

Dec 12, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) defends Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett (9) during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
Dec 12, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) defends Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett (9) during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
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If Miami Heat fans wants to worry less about Jimmy Butler, they should listen to one of the NBA's best salary cap experts.

Bobby Marks of ESPN thinks the Heat are in the "driver's seat" of keeping Butler the remainder of the season. He made the claim during a recent interview on social media.


"At the end of the day, the Heat are in the driver's seat," Marks said. "Even if Jimmy Butler has a hissy fit, which I don't think it's gonna happen because they're winning. They are in the driver's seat. They don't have to do anything with Jimmy Butler. Jimmy Butler can play out this year and he can decline his option and become a free agent. I know that the threat is there he will sign with someone else. My question is who?

This week, it was reported the Heat were willing to part ways with Butler. Among the destinations were the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns. The Heat and Butler have denied the reports.

In the end, Marks said the Heat have limited options in trading Butler.

"Who is Jimmy Butler going to go sign with," Marks said. "We've looked at the landscape of the market. The only team that has cap space is Brooklyn. You think Brooklyn is going to want a 36-year-old Jimmy Butler paying him $50 million? The answer is no."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here