Curry returns to court for first game in four months

Now that the Jimmy Butler situation reached the inevitable trade request from Butler, the Miami Heat have decisions to make. One thing Miami has made certain: They won’t take back salary they can’t move in a deal for Butler.

For years, NBA teams have operated as though you can’t let a player leave without getting anything in return. Last summer, the LA Clippers used the savings from letting Paul George walk to rebuild their depth. LA dropped under the luxury tax for the first time in a few years. They used that flexibility to add several players to round out their roster.

The Heat could take a similar path by letting Butler leave in free agency. There’s also the matter of few teams projecting to have available cap space this summer. The only team that projects to have max space is the Brooklyn Nets, who are rebuilding. Despite having been linked together, would Butler sign with a rebuilding Nets team? If not, then the Heat would have to be agreeable to a sign-and-trade scenario.

One rival GM put it best while explaining Miami still has control.

“The Heat make mistakes and sometimes have issues with players just like everyone else,” the GM said. “But they do not get pushed around.”