Furthermore, it’s been an eventful 24 hours, as Butler gave a sad admission about him playing basketball. He said he wants to find his joy again. Moments later, Butler requested a trade from the Heat. Despite his public move, team president Pat Riley and management are not going down without a fight. After all, Riley can decide where his star player goes.

The NBAPA’s grievance might not matter before Jimmy Butler and the Heat find a trade.

Something like this happened with Kawhi Leonard when he was on the San Antonio Spurs. He wanted to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers but was sent to the Toronto Raptors. The same scenario could happen to Butler. He may give a list of options but end up somewhere he didn’t expect, or worse, somewhere he doesn’t want to be.

However, it’s clear that Miami will trade Butler after this demand. Plenty of teams will look to trade for the multiple-time all-star. For example, the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets are two names that are in the mix. While their situations are a bit complicated, it’s possible to get a deal done.

A third team emerged, the Golden State Warriors. For instance, the Warriors have emerged as the landing spot for Butler. Even with the rumor train continuing to accelerate, it’s a matter of where the Heat would want to send Butler. Or, if they wanted to, they could have him hold out and have him enter free agency.