For months, Jimmy Butler had signaled his intention to become a free agent this offseason by declining his $52 million player option for the 25-26 season. But sources tell ESPN's Shams Charania that Butler intends to use that player option as a trade maneuver if he is not dealt by the trade deadline on Feb. 6.
During his face-to-face meeting with Pat Riley, Butler said he will not sign a new deal with the Heat in the offseason. Butler reportedly prefers a trade to the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets or Dallas Mavericks.
The Brooklyn Nets will be one of the only teams in the NBA with max cap space during the 2025 offseason, but they are in the midst of a rebuild and not on a timeline to match a player of Butler's age.
Paul George examined the possibility of an opt-in-and-trade during the 2024 offseason, but the Los Angeles Clippers didn't receive any trade offers worth accepting and he left the franchise as an outright free agent. Chris Paul utilized an opt-in-and-trade in order to get to the Houston Rockets in 2017 and then signed a new contract during the subsequent offseason.
