With the NBA trade period informally beginning on Sunday, there have been trade talks circulating about Jimmy Butler potentially leaving the Miami Heat.

Multiple teams have popped up as potential landing spots for the six-time NBA All-Star, including the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets specifically from a report by ESPN's Shams Charania. Charania later added the Suns as a possibility as well. However, since then, Butler's agent and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra have denied that Butler will be on the move soon. Butler himself didn't deny any rumors.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst added on to that conversation on Thursday by stating that Butler's preferred choice would be to stay with the Heat on an extension. However, since that hasn't happened, there's of course going to be rumors circulating about him heading somewhere else.

"I think Jimmy Butler's preference would be to sign an extension in Miami," Windhorst said on First Take. "He'd hoped to do that last summer. [Team president] Pat Riley came out at the end of last season and said that's not what the Heat were doing, and they still haven't made any progress on that."

Butler will become a free agent after the 2024–25 season if an extension with the Heat is not agreed upon by then. Windhorst noted that fans will likely hear a lot about Butler in the coming days and weeks as the trade period opens on Sunday, Dec. 15.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Insider Explains Jimmy Butler's Preference Amid Heat Trade Rumors.