The Utah Jazz are going to scour the NBA landscape in the hopes of finding upgrades good enough to get the team to the NBA Playoffs. One of those names the Jazz may be looking to land is Jimmy Butler, the soon-to-be 35-year-old forward with the Miami Heat.
Butler has rubbed Miami Heat legend Pat Riley the wrong way in recent weeks. First, news broke from his camp that he wanted a massive new contract with the squad, despite nearing not only the end of his prime but the end of his career. Then he further annoyed Riley when he started trolling the NBA, saying that he would've led the team past the Boston Celtics into a showdown with the New York Knicks.
This annoyed Riley even more, with him recently going on the record via the Athletic, saying;
"“For him to say that, I thought, ‘Is that Jimmy trolling or is that Jimmy serious?. "If you’re not on the court playing against Boston, if you’re not on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut in your criticism of those teams.”"
Riley was asked if he intended on trading Butler, who still has two years left on his contract, but said flat out 'no', they had no interest in trading him. At least that's what Riley is telling the media. Behind the scenes may be a vastly different situation. As mentioned in another article by the Athletic, the Heat are looking at Bam Adebayo as the "keeper of the Heat culture flame"
So it sounds like the Heat may be over Butler. If the right trade comes in for him, they may consider it, and the Utah Jazz are one of those teams that seem to have every piece imaginable to land Butler. They have the draft picks, the young players, the desire to upgrade their roster, and the fit for him on the squad.
Butler may be hard to handle but his work ethic is unquestionable. If he doesn't have to be the star of a team, as this is Lauri Markkanen's team, his defense, and effort are more than an upgrade over anyone the Jazz could get, and if they don't extend his contract, the team may be able to justify his exponent sum for the next two seasons while seriously pushing for an NBA title.