Miami Heat Fans Blast Jimmy Butler Following Trade Request: ‘Peace Out, Jimmy’

Miami Heat fans have apparently had enough of star forward Jimmy Butler.

Luckily for them, they may not need to deal with him much longer.

Butler reportedly requested a trade Thursday night, putting his short-term future with the Heat in doubt. He hits unrestricted free agency in July and is widely expected to decline his $52 million player option.

A portion of Heat fans mourned the potential impending departure and the impact Butler had during his six seasons in Miami. However, another segment of the fanbase quickly turned on the veteran All-Star, especially after comments he made following Thursday’s loss to the Pacers.

“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 told reporters. “I’m happy here off the court, but I want to be back somewhat dominant. I want to hoop, and I want to help this team win. Right now, I’m not doing that.”

When asked if he could get his joy back in Miami, Butler responded, “Probably not.”

Heat fans had no patience for Butler’s honesty or candor.

“[He] gave up on the guys that believed in him,” SnooPeripherals4884 wrote on Reddit. “Say what you want about the [front office], but he just spit in the face of his teammates and [head coach Erik Spoelstra].”

Added WheeinSpace: “So he just quit on the team because of money. Peace out, Jimmy.”

Heat fans on X (formerly Twitter) had similar sentiments. @catchflames mocked Butler for requesting a trade after recording nine points on only six shots Thursday night. 

“Lol so he barely tries, gets called out, gets mad and asks out?” they wrote. “I’m more and more ready for this trade by the second.”

User @Fapo212 compared Butler to Heat legends Dwyane Wade and LeBron James—and not in a good way. 

“A man who quits on his own team will never be worth it,” they wrote. “That’s what Jimmy did tonight. Bron didn’t quit on Miami, he did his 4 years and got [to] the finals every time. [Dwyane] Wade didn’t quit on his team ever. Never did he quit. Knees was just cooked. 

“Super disappointed in Jimmy Butler.”

X user @SuperSaiyan_Blu unleashed on Butler for his “lack of professionalism.”

“Did the FO let him down. YES,” they posted. “But he chose to opt out. Be a professional until then. People who sell their team like he did last 2 games should never be cheered on.

Reddit user 4u1ture had similar thoughts, criticizing Butler for saying “utter garbage” after a loss.

“I’ll hold it against him for a long time,” they said. “It just leaves an awful taste in my mouth for the end of his stint here.”

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Jake Elman works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at [email protected] or follow him on X @JakeElman97.