NBA Veteran Believes Messy Jimmy Butler Trade Issue Mimics Blake Griffin

A former NBA player believes that Jimmy Butler is mimicking another former NBA great.

Jan 2, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) warms-up before the game against the Indiana Pacers at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The NBA has had quite a bit of drama in recent weeks. Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler has been the center of it. In the last few weeks, there have been conflicting reports from him and NBA insiders about whether or not he wants out of Miami. There was a report from Shams Charania that he only wanted to be traded to certain teams.

Things have changed since then. After two games that saw Butler totally disengaged, including the most recent game against the Pacers in which he scored just nine points in a blowout loss, Butler now wants to play for any team except Miami, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.

One former NBA veteran thinks that this is a situation that mimics one that former NBA great Blake Griffin had during his time with the Los Angeles Clippers. Williams chronicled that situation in a video on social media.

At the end of the day, no matter what’s going on in the front office, players are always going to side with there teammates 🤝🏾@TeamLou23 recalls going through a situation with Blake Griffin while with the Clippers, that resembles the current one going on in Miami!… pic.twitter.com/xABELskZwv

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 3, 2025

"I love Blake. I loved being on a team with him competing at a high level. We were even on a winning streak. But he had been there so long before I got there, his relationship with the front office and the coaching staff had deteriorated, and even though we were playing good basketball, there was still a lot of tension in the air."

Butler clearly wants out of Miami at this point. It could stem from the fact that Pat Riley and the Heat didn't want to extend his contract in the offseason. From then on, it seems like things have continued to go downhill for Butler in Miami. Now, things are clearly untenable.

Riley has come out and said that the Heat are not trading Butler. If Butler wants to leave that badly, he can become a free agent in the offseason. He also has a player option worth $52 million that he can opt into if he prefers to get paid all of that money.

This has become a giant game of chicken, and it remains to be seen who blinks first. Miami has all of the leverage at the moment because Butler could be a free agent at the end of the year. At the same time, they risk losing him for nothing if he walks away. Trading him now would give them the chance to recoup something.

The trade deadline is in just over a month. Miami is going to field a lot of calls from other teams interested in trading for Butler. Riley has a reputation for getting what he wants, so he isn't likely to deal Butler unless an offer comes in that is too good to refuse.

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