Report: Warriors trade target Butler, look to move Heat before deadline originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Heat star Jimmy Butler wants to leave Miami, and apparently he doesn’t want to wait.

The six-time NBA All-Star favors a trade before the Feb. 6 deadline, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday morning, citing league sources.

The Warriors are a team Butler would like to join, along with the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, Charania added. Miami is willing to listen to trade offers, and while Butler has not yet made a formal request for a trade, he is ready for a fresh start and prefers a win-now contender in any deal, Charania reported, citing sources.

“Several” teams have called the Heat in the past two weeks to express interest in Butler, Charania reported, citing sources, but they “have shown no urgency in the discussions” as the team continues to spend the first half of its contract Season observed and evaluated. in which it sits sixth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 14-13.

Among the teams that have shown interest, Golden State is the only one maintaining an interest that could eventually lead to “substantial trade discussions,” NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported earlier this month. Houston and Dallas had not expressed any specific interest in signing Butler, and Phoenix would realistically have to include Bradley Beal in any deal with Miami, which seems unlikely after the Heat passed on adding the NBA All-Star in the 2023 offseason.

Teams have been told that Butler intends to decline his player option for the 2025-26 season, Charnia reported, citing sources, and will become a free agent in July.

In 20 games this season, Butler averaged 18.5 points on 55.2 percent shooting, with 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 31.4 minutes.

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