"Pat gonna send him to Washington" - Carmelo Anthony issues friendly warning to Jimmy Butler amid tensions with Heat

Tensions between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat have reached a boiling point with the relationship likely being broken beyond repair. With Butler's departure from Miami, all but certain, former NBA star Carmelo Anthony offered a reminder to Butler about his trade value on his podcast, '7 PM in Brooklyn'.

After Butler formally addressed his discontent and the Heat officially announced their intention to find a trade partner, many in the NBA community are wondering what his value as a trade asset ultimately is.

On Friday's episode featuring guests Blake Griffin and Monica McNutt, the panel discussed Butler's approach to his trade request.

"Nobody does this to Pat Riley. I kind of f**k with it from that perspective," Blake Griffin said laughingly.

Carmelo Anthony added his advice, cautioning Butler that when you don't have control over where you might get sent, to be careful what you wish for.

"This is serious business now. This could really f**k you up going into your next situation. Pat gonna send him to somewhere— 'yeah okay you wanna f**k with me? Imma send you to the Wizards', and that's gonna be a f**k you to Jimmy" said the 10x All-Star.

Griffin also alluded to the fact that late into a player's career, each season is of vital importance. If Butler's demands land him on a rebuilding team, he could essentially be forfeiting one of his last quality seasons.

"Also like, Jimmy's 35. He trades him to Washington, a year is gone. At 35, a year is gone," he said.

The buildup to Jimmy Butler's trade request

There have been rumors about Jimmy Butler being traded from the Heat since he landed in Miami almost six years ago. But with each passing season, as the Heat continually came short of an NBA championship, the rumors grew.

While it never appeared to hold much weight, this season, however, both parties seemed increasingly displeased. The Heat are struggling to remain above play-in contention, and the notion that Jimmy Butler might get traded has started to become real.

The noise around the possibility became so prevalent that Heat President Pat Riley addressed the rumors.

"We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches,” Riley said in a release. “Therefore, we will make it clear — we are not trading Jimmy Butler.”

The statement reaffirmed the franchise's commitment to holding onto Butler. however just a few days later, on January 2, after a loss to the Indiana Pacers, Butler all but said directly that he wants out of Miami.

I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball, and wherever that may be we'll find out here pretty soon", Butler said about the changes he wants to see happen.

When asked if he could get his joy back while in Miami, Butler didn't hesitate to say, "probably not".

In response to this, the Heat suspended him for seven games due to his conduct being "detrimental to the team".