"I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be, we'll find out here pretty soon.”
When asked if he could find his joy playing with the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler responded, “Probably not.”
Butler made these comments after Miami’s home loss to the Pacers on Thursday, January 2. The next day, reports surfaced that Butler had requested a trade from the Miami Heat. That afternoon, the Heat suspended Butler for seven games for "multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team."
On January 17, Butler returned from his suspension. He was visibly unenthused, prompting questions about his effort and desire to be in a Heat uniform. Butler averaged 13 points in 29.3 minutes in three games before he was suspended two more games for missing the team’s flight. He is currently serving that suspension.
So, why does Butler want out?
The Heat are 21-21, but Butler has twice led a subpar Miami team to the NBA Finals – in 2020 and 2023. He has a great relationship with Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and the rest of his teammates, too, so what is different this year?
Butler said, “I got no problem with these guys… My beef not with them, it never will be.”
Butler’s relationship with head coach Erik Spoelstra is somewhat fickle, but his relationship with president Pat Riley is the reason he wants out. Riley did not extend Butler’s contract this offseason and after Miami’s first-round loss to the Boston Celtics, the relationship between him and Butler has been very sour and very public.
Butler (knee injury) did not play in Miami’s first-round loss against Boston in the playoffs. After losing the series, Butler insinuated that had he been healthy, the Heat would have won. In response to Butler’s comments, Riley said, “If you're not on the court playing, you should keep your mouth shut.” That was the beginning of the end.
Riley governs with an iron fist, and Butler knows that. He took advantage of Riley’s strict policies by violating each one to force Riley’s hand -- trade him or suspend him. The cat and mouse will continue until Miami finds a landing spot for Butler, but that could take weeks. Until then, Butler finds joy off the court by frequenting his coffee shop, Big Face Coffee.
During the NBA’s COVID season in 2020, Butler founded his coffee company in the “bubble.” It began as a joke until he noticed the business’ lucrativeness. Butler brought a coffee machine to the “bubble” and charged $20 per cup — a steep price for most, but not NBA millionaires with limited options. Soon enough, he was sporting “big face” t-shirts to games, and the business idea became a profit-rich reality.
In an interview with Rachel Nichols in 2020, Butler’s teammate Bam Adebayo said, “I wanted to be part-owner… and he told me ‘no’ because I didn’t know how to make coffee.” Perhaps, Butler didn’t want to split the profits either.
Despite the coffee side hustle, Butler and the Heat reached the NBA Finals that year. Miami lost to the Lakers in six games, but Butler’s coffee scheme rivaled the Lakers’ title run for newspaper headlines.
Since the bubble, Butler has grown his brand to include merchandise, coffee instruments, cups, and more. In December 2024, Butler opened the first Big Face Coffee store in Miami, which he frequents in the mornings before driving to the facility.
Butler said, “You get to meet so many different types of people, which is the best part about coffee… Now that I have my own shop, I get to see everybody that's busy, everybody that lives here, everybody that's leaving here. They're going to come here — this is their sanctuary.”
It is Butler’s sanctuary, too — off the court, away from the bright lights, and drama-free. In a profession muddied by pressure, critics, and expectations, the 6x All Star finds fulfillment in coffee.
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