Heat wing Jimmy Butler averaged 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists on 56.4 percent true shooting.(Mandatory Credit: Eric Espada/NBAE via Getty Images)
We are just over one calendar year from the Miami Heat dealing Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors in a five-team blockbuster. Their relationship soured — largely due to the Heat’s unwillingness to sign Butler to an extension in the summer of 2024 — and it was best for both sides to go their separate ways.
But that wasn’t the first time the Heat explored trading the six-time All-Star.
According to Five Reasons Sports’ Ethan Skolnick, the team reportedly shopped the now-36-year-old after the 2023 NBA Finals. Though they couldn’t find “anything,” the longtime insider noted.
Pat Riley reportedly placed Jimmy Butler on the trading block after the 2023 Finals, per @EthanJSkolnick
“You know Pat shopped him after they got to the Finals. You know that, right? He was done with it. They shopped him. They couldn’t find anything. This was after the 2022–23… pic.twitter.com/1QXqyj90ic
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 13, 2026
Skolnick clarified later that the excerpt from the recent Five On The Floor episode (ft. ESPN’s Jorge Sedano) wasn’t the first time he’s talked about this, stating that it “wasn’t new.”
What was said last night with @Sedano … I said more than a year ago, it’s not new. But as a birthday present to me, you can listen to our entire podcast, not just the aggregation. https://t.co/X1phgMtdNd
— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) February 13, 2026
Even though this would’ve stirred some controversy, it was always the right move to sell high on Butler before, well you know, the chaotic circus that was the 2024-25 season. If they weren’t going to pay him, then trade him.
Although the most bizarre part of that report is that they couldn’t find anything for him; perhaps they didn’t find a package that would’ve satisfied them, given the player. Let’s not forget that, before Butler got injured in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semis, he averaged 37.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 steals on 59.7/44.4/70.8 shooting splits.
It was one of the most miraculous single-series performances in franchise history. In the summer of 2023, Butler was entering his age-34 season, and was beginning the first year of a three-year, $146 million extension he signed in 2021.
In that postseason entirely, Butler posted 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.9 steals on 56.4 percent true shooting.
It would’ve commanded a haul to pry Butler away from the Heat after a Finals run. But that’s neither here nor there, now. Assuming this is true, I guess I would like to be a fly on the wall in terms of what was offered, and whether it was worth it.
***
To check out our other content, click here.
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Twitter/X here!
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Instagram here!
Check out Hot Hot Hoops on Facebook here!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel here!