On Thursday’s edition of GoJo and Golic, the crew breaks down the latest in the Jimmy Butler-Miami Heat drama and how they expect this situation to end with the NBA trade deadline slowly approaching.
Butler has been suspended…again, this time for missing a team flight, and will sit out two games behind it. Additionally, he was serving a prior suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. GoJo expects this saga to continue up to the trade deadline. According to GoJo, Butler could go and teach a master class on how to get yourself out of a team situation that you don’t want to be a part of. Senior made the point that only a select few players have the power to navigate situations like this, and Butler is one of them. He questioned the excuses surrounding Butler missing the team flight, pointing out that every player was aware of the schedule change, making it hard to justify. Despite Butler planning to join the team for their road trip, Miami decided to suspend him instead, sending a clear message. With the Heat sitting at .500 and clinging to the ninth seed, Senior stressed that without Butler, they’d likely struggle even to make the play-in tournament.
In turn, this raises a significant decision for Miami where they have to decide if they would be willing to trade Butler and move on from the headache or keep him, knowing he could decline his $52 million player option. For Pat Riley, this is not his first rodeo as a seasoned executive. He has run the Heat his way for decades, and Senior stressed that Riley is at the center of this decision. Senior also noted that Riley isn’t one to let a player dictate terms to him, and it wouldn’t be surprising if personal pride played a role in how this situation unfolds.
GoJo offers a stream of optimism in that he wonders if Butler will eventually flip the switch and return to form, especially as the postseason approaches. He speculated that Butler might at least try to make himself appealing to other teams after this situation because the effort isn’t there right now. GoJo highlighted how disengaged Butler has been on the court, citing a report produced by ESPN’s Bobby Marks. It underscored that over his last five games, Butler has taken fewer than 10 shots in four, scoring just 57 points total while barely getting to the free-throw line. His movement on the court has been sluggish — against Portland, he was moving at a fast pace just 5% of the time, one of his lowest efforts in years. Butler has clarified that he doesn’t want to be in Miami anymore.
A team that some are speculating to be a top landing spot for Butler is the Phoenix Suns. Butler teased his interest in joining the Suns by sporting a Suns-inspired colorway with his signature Li Ning JB3 shoe on the court. Senior sheds light on the possibility of Butler landing with the Suns; he shared that they recently dealt their 2031 first-round pick to Utah in exchange for three first-rounders, though those picks are the worst of three teams. Ultimately, the move gives them more assets to pursue Butler. Bringing in Butler would align with Phoenix’s win-now mentality, especially with Kevin Durant at 36 years old. The Suns are 10th in the West and just above .500, barely clinging to a play-in spot. Given the age of both Durant and Butler (who is 35), this isn’t a long-term building move; it’s about maximizing their championship window immediately. If Phoenix wants to make a serious run, they must act fast.
Watch or listen to the full show below and tune into GoJo and Golic weekday mornings from 8-10 a.m. ET on DraftKings Network! See more about how to watch DraftKings Network here.
SHOW BREAKDOWN
Hour 1: Reactions to The Jets Hiring Aaron Glenn & The Bears Hiring Ben Johnson + Confessions from Atlanta’s Airport
Hour 2: Debating The Best NFL Storylines + Jimmy Butler’s Suspended, Again + NFL MVP, OPOY & DPOY Nominations
VIDEO
Watch GoJo and Golic every weekday on Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Xumo Play, Google TV and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 8 to 10 a.m. ET. The show is also available via audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike Golic Sr. on X at @golic and Mike Golic Jr. on X at @mikegolicjr.
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