NBA Trade Rumors: Jimmy Butler seemingly refuses to take superteam route as possibility of a move intensifies

Jimmy Butler has doubled down on his trade request to the Miami Heat and indicated that he would rather play for any other team, according to ESPN insiders Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst.

Unlike many other trade requests from stars in the recent past, Butler reportedly did not specify a list of preferred destinations, seemingly spurning the super team route.

Butler does not seem particularly choosy about his landing spot. With the reduction in the number of big threes in recent years, it is unlikely that he could form a superteam anywhere.

This revelation came hours after Butler scored only nine points en route to Miami's 128-115 loss on Thursday night. During his post game interview, the six-time All Star made his feelings clear about his satisfaction level in Miami and a lack of rapport with the organization.

"I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be, we'll find out here pretty soon," Butler said. "I'm happy here off the court, but I want to be back to somewhat dominant"

When asked if he could regain that satisfaction with the Heat, Butler responded: "Probably not."

Butler seemingly took umbrage to his team's insinuation that he had not played to the best of his ability in Miami's victory over the Pelicans on Wednesday. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra opted to leave him on the bench in the fourth quarter for each of the last two contests.

Jimmy Butler's apparent breakdown in his relationship with the Miami Heat reportedly stems from tension between the two parties dating back to last spring when team president Pat Riley announced that Butler's contract would not be extended before the 2024-25 season.

The 35-year-old star has reportedly met Pat Riley and owner Micky Arison in recent days, but any attempts at a resolution have been to no avail.

Charania further reported that Riley and Butler's relationship took a sour turn after the 79-year-old Riley called out Jimmy Butler at his end-of-season media session.

"If you're not on the court playing, you should keep your mouth shut"

Butler had insinuated on his Instagram that Miami would have gone further in the playoffs with him in the lineup following their first-round loss to the Celtics.

What could be Jimmy Butler's next destination?

Butler is a proven playoff perfomer which works to his advantage in determining trade value as he is averaging his fewest points per game since 2013-14 and fewest minutes per game since 2012-13. His days of being the best defender on a contender also look to be in the past but he will be a hot commodity in the open market nonetheless. Here are three teams who could be poised to make a trade for Jimmy Butler.

#1 Houston Rockets

Jimmy Butler is a Houston native and a perfect fit temperamentally for a young Rockets team playing hard-nosed basketball under Ime Udoka. Armed with a litany of first round draft picks and young tradeable talents like Jabari Smith Jr. and Cam Whitmore, a potential offer from the Rockets could be too good to refuse for Miami.

#2 Oklahoma City Thunder

OKC is in a similar situation as Houston and sits atop the Western Conference with a sizeable advantage. With their upstart roster poised for a championship run, Jimmy Butler's playoff maturity and mentorship could be just what the Thunder need to bolster their roster.

#3 Golden State Warriors

The 2022 NBA champions currently look like pushovers in the West with another deep playoff run with Steph Curry and Draymond Green, looking unlikely. Steve Kerr has experimented with a deep rotation of servicable players who could all be ideal trade pieces. With first round picks to trade, the Golden State Warriors front office may pull the trigger for Jimmy Butler to extend one last run in the post season for Curry.