Will Miami Heat Make Changes After Jimmy Butler Trade Saga?

Jake Elman | Jan 6, 2025

Jan 2, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra looks on during the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler is almost certainly on his way out in the coming months.

Could longtime coach Erik Spoelstra follow him out the door?

We expect fans and pundits to eventually speculate about Spoelstra’s future in Miami. The Heat are a middle-of-the-road team likely destined for a Play-In Tournament berth for the second straight year. There’s an overall consensus the Heat are nowhere close to competing for a championship right now.

Let’s be clear, though: the Heat would make an all-time mistake dismissing Spoelstra.

The Heat operate logically in a way few professional sports franchises do. Owner Micky Arison and president Pat Riley actually think things out and don’t let emotions force them into panic moves.

Spoelstra deserves none of the blame for the Butler trade saga. That’s an issue between Butler and Riley, both of whom have earned considerable criticism in recent weeks. 

Spoelstra is the NBA’s second-longest active tenured coach for a reason. First off, he wins; the Heat haven’t had a losing season since 2019. Spoelstra owns a career 58.5 winning percentage in an era of free agency and player empowerment.

More importantly, Spoelstra has won despite dealing with the drama and pressure of coaching superstars. Miami won two titles and reached the NBA Finals all four years of the Big Three era. He’s handled the Butler situation masterfully even as the Heat hover around .500.

The computer in NBA 2K might fire Spoelstra if the Heat post a losing record and miss the playoffs. Real life doesn’t work that way, and you should expect Spoelstra to coach the Heat next year—unless he wants out, and there’s been no indication he’s considering retirement or forcing his way to another team.

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Jake Elman works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at jakeelman97@gmail.com or follow him on X @JakeElman97.