The Miami Heat would entertain trading Jimmy Butler if the right offer came along, but the situation has not risen to the level where any move is imminent — or, for now, being sought after by any of the parties involved, league sources told CBS Sports this week.
Trade rumors about Butler, the Heat star who could enter free agency this summer, began earlier this week. They then took a very public and personal turn between Bernie Lee, Butler’s agent, and ESPN reporter Shams Charnia.
On Wednesday, ESPN reported that Butler’s agent had indicated his client would be interested in being traded to Phoenix, along with Dallas, Golden State and Houston. That felt like standard, if significant, stuff. This is an era of player movement, and Butler wanting to go somewhere else wouldn’t be an earth-shattering turn of events.
Then came something quite unusual: The clapback.
Lee, in posts on social media, refuted the report aggressively and called the reporting