Q: Assume the Heat trade Jimmy Butler to Team A but he refuses to report. I would think the league voids the deal. But then what happens to the status of Jimmy’s contract, if anything? If Jimmy isn’t penalized in some manner., wouldn’t that effectively make every NBA contract a “no trade” contract, if players can refuse to report with no penalty? And what should the penalty be? For example, would his Heat contract become void, his salary come off the Heat books, and he becomes a free agent? – Mike, Boynton Beach,
A: A player who fails to report after a trade is summarily suspended without pay. That, however, is an abstract. From a Heat perspective, the concern would be making a trade at Thursday’s 3 p.m. deadline, having it blow up (Butler perhaps failing a physical, or insisting he needs some type of medical procedure) and then the Heat having no recourse once the trade deadline passes. It is why a team also has to be mindful of a player in such a situation, even in the void of a no-trade clause. That is why there has been so much backchannel work at play. A team that acquires to know, quite literally, he will play ball with them.
Q: A lot of focus has been on a potential Jimmy Butler trade. But the Heat have 13 other players under standard contract. Do you see anyone else possibly being traded before the deadline? And if so, for whom? – Peyton, Margate.
A: Several of the potential Jimmy Butler permutations could involve additional smaller salary to balance deals, so anyone on a minimum contract likely is on high alert, especially an expiring minimal deal, such as the ones held by Josh Richardson and Alec Burks. It is possible that Kevin Love also could be utilized to balance a trade, although he holds a player option for next season.
Q: If Pat Riley did not let Dwayne Wade leave for Chicago, the Heat will never have Jimmy Butler. One mistake became two. – Ben, Plantation.
A: While Dwyane Wade playing alongside Jimmy Butler with the Bulls certainly solidified that friendship, it’s not as if the two Marquette products didn’t have a preexisting relationship. Among the reasons Jimmy Butler joined the Heat was the money. That, at the moment, again remains a driving factor. When Jimmy Butler arrived in 2019, he was Heat in almost every Culture sense. Then things changed both by Butler and the Heat.