Jimmy Butler, Heat Reach Settlement on $6M in Fines

Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler and his former team, the Miami Heat, reportedly reached a settlement on the $6 million in fines he racked up while awaiting a trade last season.

Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat Agreed On $3 Million Settlement

Per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Butler and the Heat agreed on a $3 million settlement. Winderman noted that Butler appealed the penalties as soon as they were assessed last season.

Butler started last season with the Heat, but things quickly escalated when he demanded a trade.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported last December that Butler preferred to be dealt, but the Heat responded with a statement saying they had no plans of trading him.

After the report, Butler spoke publicly about wanting out, saying he wanted to get his “joy back from playing basketball.” When asked whether that could happen in Miami, he said, “Probably not.”

Butler was then issued a seven-game suspension for “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team.”

A few weeks after his first suspension, Butler was once again suspended for five games after walking out of practice after being told he was being replaced in the starting lineup by Haywood Highsmith.

Butler Signed New Deal With Warriors After Miami Trade

Butler had $48.79 million left on his contract with the Heat for last season and a $52.41 million player option for 2025-26 after the two sides failed to reach an extension.

Per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Butler’s seven-game suspension cost him $346,543 for each game missed, or a total of $2.35 million. That’s basically 1/145 of his $48.79 million salary.

The Heat ultimately granted Butler his trade request, sending him to Golden State ahead of the 2025 trade deadline. Butler then declined his $52.41 million player option to sign a new two-year, $111 million deal that carries through the 2026-27 season.

As part of the trade, the Warriors sent forwards Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson plus a top-10-protected 2025 first-round pick to the Heat.

According to Winderman, the $3 million settlement “satisfied both parties, with the Heat found within their rights to assess the penalties, but with Butler also reasonable in questioning the degree of the sanctions.”

Winderman also noted that one game of Butler’s suspension was later rescinded.